Texas Rangers Bolster Their Outfield with Dairon Blanco
The Texas Rangers have added outfielder Dairon Blanco to their roster, claiming him from waivers from the Kansas City Royals. The move was announced on Sunday and required placing left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery on the 60-day injured list to make room on the team.
Blanco, who was designated for assignment by Kansas City last week, has had a consistent performance in his career in the Major Leagues.
The 32-year-old Cuban, in 171 games over four seasons, bats .257 with seven home runs and 34 RBIs. His speed is one of his greatest weapons, as he has stolen 59 bases in 73 attempts. Furthermore, since 2022, Blanco leads the majors with 64 appearances as a pinch runner.
In the past season, playing for Triple-A Omaha, Blanco batted .253 and stole 32 bases.
The Rangers signed Montgomery to a one-year contract last month as he recovers from a second elbow reconstruction surgery. Montgomery was key in the Rangers’ 2023 World Series championship.
With the Rangers, the lefty went 4-2 with a 2.79 ERA in 11 regular season games after being acquired at the trade deadline. In addition, he won two games in the American League Championship Series, including the decisive Game 7 in Houston.
Montgomery then became a free agent and signed with the Diamondbacks, where he went 8-7 with a 6.23 ERA in 2024 before missing all of last season.
Throughout his eight seasons in the Major Leagues with the New York Yankees, St. Louis, Texas, and Arizona, Montgomery has a record of 46-41 with an ERA of 4.03 in 166 games.
