The Texas Rangers have acquired catcher Kevin Plawecki in a trade with the San Diego Padres. The deal was announced by the Rangers on Friday evening. The Rangers will be sending cash considerations to the Padres in exchange for Plawecki. He was not on the Padres’ 40-man roster and won’t immediately go onto the Rangers’ major league roster. He will be assigned to Triple-A Round Rock for the time being.
Help Behind the Plate
The move to add Kevin Plawecki makes sense for the Rangers. They just placed All-Star catcher Jonah Heim on the injured list with a left wrist issue. He’ll be shut down for several weeks before it’s determined whether season-ending surgery is necessary. The best-case scenario is that Mitch Garver and Sam Huff will hold down the fort for a few weeks before Heim makes it back.
The Rangers currently do not have any other catchers on the 40-man roster. That means an injury to either Garver or Huff would force them to tap into the minor-league ranks. None of the Rangers’ Triple-A backstops have any big league experience, so it makes sense to fortify the group with a veteran.
Another Familiar Face
Kevin Plawecki is no stranger to the organization. He signed with the Rangers last season after being released by the Boston Red Sox. Despite his impending free agency, a then-uncompetitive Rangers club valued his clubhouse presence enough to carry him on the roster at the end of the season.
The 32-year-old has spent this year in Triple-A with the Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates organizations. He has combined for a .268/.341/.400 line over 229 trips to the plate. In parts of eight major league seasons, he’s a .235/.313/.342 hitter. This is the second time in the last month that the Rangers have brought a familiar face into the fold. They signed right-hander Matt Bush to a minor-league contract on July 12.
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