Frazier not on roster, McCarthy released

The Texas Rangers have informed outfielder Clint Frazier and first baseman Yoshi Tsutsugo that they will not make the Opening Day roster, the team announced today. In addition, the team announced that outfielder Joe McCarthy and pitcher Reyes Moronta have been released.

All four players were in camp on minor league deals. Of the four, Frazier seemed to have the best chance of making the roster, but even he faced an uphill battle after struggling in AAA for the Cubs in 2022. Robbie Grossman’s signing made a righthanded outfield bat somewhat superfluous.

McCarthy got some run last year in spring training before going to Japan. There was some carryover enthusiasm for McCarthy from last spring’s performance in some quarters, but he didn’t hit that great in Japan in 2022, and seemed unlikely to make the team.

I believe at this point that Sandy Leon and Travis Jankowski are the only two position players still in major league camp who have not been informed they are not making the team. They would appear to be vying with Ezequiel Duran for the final bench spot (or final two bench spots, if Leody Taveras starts the season on the injured list). The Rangers have a 40 man roster crunch, however, which will make it harder to open up a spot for Leon or Jankowski, should they want to go that direction.