Rangers should avoid a reunion with this slugger squeezed out by Braves' depth

The Atlanta Braves designated former Texas Rangers first baseman Rowdy Tellez for assignment on Thursday morning to make room for shortstop Jim Jarvis, the team announced. Tellez signed a minor-league deal with Atlanta in March and joined the big-league squad in early June. He primarily served as a pinch-hitter in his three weeks with the Braves, going 2-for-10 with one home run, one walk and four RBI. In 49 games with Triple-A Gwinnett, he hit .259/.367/.483 (122 wRC+) with eight home runs and 33 RBI.

The Braves will look to trade Tellez before passing him through waivers. If Tellez goes unclaimed, he can reject an outright assignment and become a free agent.

Tellez, 31, signed a minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers in early July of last year. Texas selected his contract on July 18, and he finished the season by appearing in 50 games with the club. He put up decent numbers for the Rangers, slashing .259/.315/.457 (115 wRC+) with six home runs, five doubles, and 22 RBI over 127 plate appearances.

The Rangers could use offensive help, even though the team has hit a bit better over the last week. Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford being sidelined with injuries creates an even bigger need for the offense to improve. However, Texas should still avoid reuniting with Tellez, who played for Team Mexico during the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

The Rangers don't have room for Rowdy Tellez on their roster

If Tellez could play a position other than first base, then it would make sense for Texas to pursue a reunion with the left-handed-hitting slugger. Texas just doesn't have room for another first baseman on its roster. Jake Burger has done a great job holding down the position for Texas lately, hitting .295/.383/.506 (150 wRC+) with eight home runs, nine doubles, and 31 RBI over 180 plate appearances from May 12 to July 1.

Additionally, Joc Pederson has the designated hitter position locked down. Entering Thursday, Pederson held a strong .240/.337/.472 (125 wRC+) slash line with 14 homers and 31 RBI. The Rangers could use a right-handed hitter to platoon with Pederson, but Tellez hits from the left side.

If Tellez passes through waivers and rejects an outright assignment, he will likely have to settle for a minor-league deal. The Rangers could consider signing him to play at Triple-A Round Rock for added insurance, but even that doesn't make much sense. Texas already has a veteran first baseman in Triple-A: Jonah Bride. Bride, 30, can also play second and third base, and is slashing a respectable .274/.397/.432 (117 wRC+) with nine home runs and 43 RBI across 72 games with the Express this year.

It wouldn't be an awful move for the Rangers to bring back Tellez, but it wouldn't do much to improve their roster. Texas does have open 40-man roster spots, but right now, finding fresh arms and versatile depth pieces is more important than a left-handed-hitting first baseman who has produced just 0.1 fWAR over his eight-plus big league seasons.

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