Texas Rangers option Nick Snyder

The Texas Rangers have optioned pitcher Nick Snyder to AAA Round Rock, it was announced today. No corresponding move has been made yet.

Snyder was called up on Friday, May 20, to give the Rangers a fresh arm in the pen to replace Josh Sborz, who was sent down after going 1.1 innings on May 19. As it turned out, the Rangers didn’t need to use their pen much the three days after that, and Snyder never got into a game before being sent back down.

The Rangers are off on Monday before starting a two game set on Tuesday in Anaheim, and I imagine the Rangers will announce the replacement for Snyder then. My guess would be that the Rangers will call up a positional player — they are currently using a three man bench. Zach Reks, who was up earlier this year, would seem the be the likely choice — he’s been down long enough that he can now be recalled, and the Rangers would likely have him as a backup outfielder option on the bench. Leody Taveras is a possibility, though he’s cooled off after a hot start to the year, and I’d guess the Rangers would like to keep him in AAA for now.

Other than Reks and Leody, the other position players who are on the 40 man roster and not in the majors are Willie Calhoun and Nick Solak, who were both recently sent down and not likely to be back up in the near future, and Ezequiel Duran, who is with Frisco and would not seem to be someone they’d be calling up at this point.

UPDATE — I just remembered that Albert Abreu is in Round Rock on a rehab assignment. I’m guessing they activate him.