Rangers open 40-man roster spot by green lighting struggling infielder's leap to Asia

The Texas Rangers made a minor roster move last night, granting first baseman Blaine Crim his release from Triple-A Round Rock. Crim, 29, apparently asked for the release so that he could pursue opportunities in Asia, and seemingly landed a deal with the NC Dinos of the KBO just hours after being cut loose.

Crim was originally a 19th-round draft pick of the Rangers back in 2019 and first made his major league debut with Texas last season, playing in five games and going hitless in 11 at-bats and reaching base twice, once via a walk and once via hit-by-pitch.

The Rangers would then place him on waivers, and he'd land with the Colorado Rockies, where he hit .241/.295/.556 with five homers in 15 games. He'd return to Texas after being waived by the Rockies earlier this season. He hasn't appeared in a major league game this season, so for now, the MLB chapter of his career will end with a total line of .200/.270/.462. He was hitting .263/.345/.461 at Round Rock this season.

Crim was on the 40-man roster, and as of now, no corresponding move has been announced. That leaves a variety of possibilities, some more intriguing than others.

How the Rangers might utilize the 40-man roster spot vacated by Blaine Crim

First, the Rangers could be looking to solve a big league need with the new roster spot. Jack Leiter's injury and subsequent ankle surgery have left the club with a hole in the rotation. They've been trying to fill it with openers and prospects like Jose Corniell and Winston Santos serving in bulk-relief roles. It hasn't worked great. Earlier this week, the team signed veteran lefty starter Marco Gonzales

Gonzales last pitched in the bigs in 2024, missing the 2025 campaign with elbow surgery. He'd been toiling in the minor leagues for the San Diego Padres and struggled mightily with a 7.99 ERA. He's made one start for Round Rock, going four innings and giving up three earned runs. The 34-year-old owns a career 4.16 ERA over 926 2/3 innings. He wouldn't be exciting, but maybe he can regain some of his past form.

More exciting would be the addition of top prospect Cameron Cauley, a speedy middle infielder and center fielder who has been on a tear recently with three homers over his last five contests. The 23-year-old might not be ready right now, but he could make his MLB debut soon.

The next option would be to leave the spot open to facilitate a trade. The trade deadline isn't until August 3 this year, but as the Rafael Devers trade taught us last year, it's never too early to start talking turkey, and if you find an offer you like, you need to pull the trigger.

Lastly, Chris Young could scan the waiver wire and other unsigned players looking for a bargain. That doesn't seem likely, but remember, Elias Diaz was a scrap heap pickup in this fashion, and folks are clamouring for him to stay over Danny Jansen and Kyle Higashioka when the former comes off the IL.

Some names to watch would be Nick Castellanos, Tyler Anderson, and former Ranger Jon Gray, among others. Not the most inspiring group, but there are some experienced options.

What is for sure is that there are now possibilities for some additional roster moves, and flexibility is never a bad thing. We wish Blaine Crim all the best in Korea.

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