Craig Gentry designated for assignment by Oakland

With today being the day that players have to be added to the 40 man roster to protect them from selection in the Rule 5 draft, we are seeing some interesting players designated for assignment around baseball.

Of particular note to Rangers fans is that the Oakland A's have designated outfielder Craig Gentry for assignment.  Gentry, of course, was drafted by the Rangers in the 10th round of the 2006 draft, and got significant playing time for the Rangers from 2011-13 as a backup outfielder.  Gentry was traded to Oakland, along with Josh Lindblom, in the deal that brought Michael Choice and Chris Bostick to Texas, a trade that ended up not working for either side, as every player in the deal disappointed.

MLB Trade Rumors projects Gentry to make $1.6M in arbitration this year, and given the Rangers' need for a righthanded-hitting backup outfielder who can preferably play center field, Gentry might be someone the team could look at bringing back to Texas.  Gentry has long been a plus defender and baserunner, and while he was awful in Oakland with the bat last year -- he hit .120/.196/.200 in 56 plate appearances, after going .254/.319/.289 in 2014 -- he could be worth either a waiver claim or acquiring for an organizational depth guy via trade.  At the very least, I'd probably rather have Gentry than Drew Stubbs or James Jones as my backup centerfielder in 2016.