The Rangers sent 12 players to the minor leagues on Tuesday morning, with no name on the list bigger than that of Mike Olt. Olt played in 16 games for the Rangers during the 2012 season, and many expected him to compete for more playing time during Spring Training. There was lots of talk about whether or not he and Jurickson Profar should start the year in the minor leagues or on the Texas bench, and apparently getting to play everyday in the minors is what the Rangers brass would like Olt to do.
Olt has struggled during Cactus League play, hitting just .194 with two home runs and five RBI in 19 games. The Rangers worked Olt at third base as well in the outfield this spring to see how many ways they could put him into the lineup if he was with the big league team.
With Olt being sent down to the minors, it appears that veteran utility player Jeff Baker has done enough to earn a spot on the Rangers Opening Day roster.
The other 11 players sent to the minors were not as shocking. The list is as follows:
P Evan Meek
P Jeff Beliveau
P Wilmer Font
P Colin Balester
P Neal Cotts
P Yoshinori Tateyama
C Juan Apodaca
C Jose Felix
IF Brandon Allen
IF Brandon Snyder
OF Engel Beltre
Meek had been considered for the final rotation spot to open the season, but he does not appear ready to face big league hitting at this time. Cotts and Tateyama have both seen major league time, but are not good enough to make this Rangers bullpen. Jose Felix is perhaps the next great Rangers catching prospect, but he is still a year away more than likely. Snyder and Beltre have both spent time with the Rangers in the past few years.
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