Calhoun returns, Smith down

The Texas Rangers have made a couple of moves this weekend. On Friday, the Rangers placed Joe Barlow on the injured list with a blister issue, and recalled A.J. Alexy to take his place on the active roster. On Sunday, the Rangers activated Kole Calhoun from the injured list, and optioned Josh Smith to AAA Round Rock.

On the pitchers, Barlow has been bothered by blister problems on his finger all year, and had just recently been activated from the injured list, where he had been placed due to an earlier blister issue. Alexy is up for now, although Dennis Santana is on a rehab assignment, and if Santana is ready soon, Alexy will likely be sent down then.

As for Calhoun being activated and Smith being sent down, Tony Beasley noted that Smith hadn’t been giving the team good at bats lately, and they want him to go to Round Rock and play every day and get his groove back. Since a three for six game on July 12, Smith has put up a .180/.281/.192 slash line.

Calhoun was signed because of his energy and veteranocity, and the Rangers apparently still value that, even with the team out of the race and the season entering its final month-plus. I’m sure folks are upset Smith went down so that Calhoun can be activated, but it is worth noting that Josh Jung will likely be called up fairly soon, and Smith’s playing time would be eroded further once Jung arrived (if he wasn’t sent down then). Smith was thrown in the deep end in his rookie season, and even if he doesn’t return to the big leagues this season, he’s someone who has value to the Rangers, and will either be in the mix for a meaningful role with the club in 2023, or a substantial trade piece in an offseason deal.