Rangers claim Tolleson, add Sardinas, Rowen, Bonilla

The Rangers have announced that they have purchased the contracts of minor leaguers Luis Sardinas, Ben Rowen and Lisalverto Bonilla, and have claimed pitcher Shawn Tolleson on waivers from the Dodgers.

Tolleson, 25, is a righthanded pitcher who was drafted in the 30th round of the 2010 draft by Los Angeles out of Baylor University.  He had a 4.30 ERA in 37.2 innings for the Dodgers in 2012, striking out 39 and walking 20.  Tolleson appeared in just one game for Los Angeles in 2013, walking both batters he faced.

Tolleson threw just 7.2 innings in the majors and minors combined in 2013, when he had back surgery in April, then got shut down later in the season because of hip problems.  Tolleson is a fastball/slider pitcher whose average fastball, per Fangraphs, has been at 92.6 mph in the majors.

Sardinas, Rowen and Bonilla have been added to the 40 man roster to protect them from being selected in next month's Rule 5 draft.  Sardinas, 20, was considered a slam-dunk to be added to the roster.  He's considered one of the organization's top prospects, earning a promotion to AA Frisco late in the 2013 season after putting up a .298/.358/.360 line in high-A with his usual slick defense at shortstop.

Bonilla, 23, is a righthanded relief pitcher who came to Texas from Philadelphia in the Michael Young trade.  He has an exceptional changeup, but also has ample command problems that make him very inconsistent.  Bonilla posted a microscopic 0.30 ERA in 30.1 innings in Frisco this year, with 50 Ks against just 9 walks and 16 hits in 30.1 innings, but got pounded at AAA Round Rock, giving up a 7.95 ERA in 43 innings.

Rowen, who turned 25 last week, got a look in the Rangers' major league camp in the spring, and had been considered a possible 2013 callup.  Rowen is a righthanded submarine-throwing reliever who put up a 0.69 ERA in 65.2 innings between Frisco and Round Rock, and allowed just a lone homer on the year.  The 22nd round pick from 2010 out of Virginia Tech doesn't have a huge ceiling, but he's the type of major league ready reliever teams love to steal in the Rule 5 draft (see, e.g., Darren O'Day), and so its not surprising he is being protected.

The most prominent names the Rangers are exposing are Chad Bell, David Perez and Nick McBride.  I'd be very surprised if they had anyone grabbed in the Rule 5 draft this year, though.

The Rangers also announced that Edwar Cabrera, recently claimed on waivers, had cleared waivers and been outrighted.

These moves leave the Rangers' 40 man roster at 38.