:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/44351666/usa-today-7957086.0.jpg)
The Texas Rangers have officially announced that free agent pitchers Colby Lewis and Kyuji Fujikawa have been signed to major league deals, and added to the 40 man roster.
To make room on the already-full 40 man roster for the new additions, the Rangers have designated pitchers Scott Barnes and Ben Rowen for assignment.
Barnes being DFA'd was, I think, expected...he was a guy the Rangers had just claimed on waivers, and it seemed likely they were going to try to run him through waivers later in the offseason in an effort to outright him.
Rowen, on the other hand, is a guy who the Rangers added to the 40 man roster last offseason. A true submariner who throws in the low-80s, Rowen was dominant in the lower levels of the minors, but getting his first taste of AAA and the majors this year, he was touched up a little more, although he still had a respectable 3.45 ERA in AAA, and 4.15 ERA in the majors. I wouldn't be surprised if someone claimed him, if only to try to waive him later on this offseason and stash him in the minors. A righty who throws in the lower-80s is going to have to fight to prove himself, but Rowen is still someone who has a chance to have a major league career.
We knew Lewis had agreed to a deal some time ago, with that finally becoming official today. Fujikawa, as well, was announced earlier in the week, and Jon Daniels says he expects Fujikawa to be a setup man for the Rangers in 2015, presumably sharing the late-inning role with Tanner Scheppers.
With these moves, the 40 man roster continues to stand at 40.
