Rangers add six to 40 man roster

The Texas Rangers have purchased the contracts of pitchers Zak Kent, Owen White and Cole Winn, infielders Luisangel Acuna and Jonathan Ornelas, and outfielder Dustin Harris, the team announced today. These players are now added to the 40 man roster, and the 40 man roster is now full.

Teams had to add players to the roster by 5:00 p.m. Central time today to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft. This is the first year each of these players was eligible for the Rule 5 Draft.

Winn, White and Ornelas were the first, second and third round picks of the Rangers in the 2018 Draft, while Acuna was a J-2 signee in 2018. Harris was an 11th round pick of the Oakland A’s in the 2019 draft, and was acquired by the Rangers in 2020 as a player to be named later in the trade that sent Mike Minor to Oakland. Zak Kent was a 9th round draft pick of the Rangers in 2019.

The expectation was that White, Winn, and Acuna were locks to be added, with Harris seen as very likely to be added. Ornelas is a mild surprise, though his defensive versatility makes him the type of player who could be targeted in the Rule 5 Draft, and he made significant strides in 2022.

The two players who were seen as the most likely candidates to be added to the 40 man roster, but who weren’t added, are pitchers Mason Englert and Antoine Kelly. Englert was the team’s fourth round pick in 2018, while Kelly was acquired in July in the Matt Bush trade.