Holt to i.l., Ibanez up

The Texas Rangers have placed infielder Brock Holt on the injured list with a strained right hamstring. To replace him on the active roster, the Rangers have purchased the contract of infielder Andy Ibanez. To clear a spot for Ibanez on the 40 man roster, the Rangers have transferred Sam Huff from the 10 day to the 60 day injured list.

Holt was out of the lineup yesterday against a righthander, which hinted at the possibility that he could have a physical issue. Given that this move is being made less than an hour before game time, my guess is that the team hoped he could go today, and when he was still limited, they made the move. When you have only a three man bench, it makes it hard to carry someone who can’t play. This is Holt’s second injured list trip of the year.

Andy Ibanez, who has been on the taxi squad, now gets to round out the bench. The 28 year old out of Cuba has played primarily second base and third base in the minors, though he is considered marginal at both positions. He had a nice season in AAA in 2019 with the bat, but the consensus has been that his bat doesn’t balance out his defensive liabilities in the field. We shall see how much Chris Woodward works him into the lineup.

Sam Huff is recuperating from knee surgery and has been on the injured list all year. This move is procedural and doesn’t really impact when he will return.