On the same day that the Rangers dismissed hitting coordinator Donnie Ecker, the club is also reportedly putting one of their longest-tenured players on waivers.
The Rangers have placed outfielder Leody Taveras on outright waivers, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The Rangers have not confirmed the news.
Any team that claims Taveras would assume the remaining balance of his $4.75 million salary this season. The 26-year-old is hitting .241/.259/.342 with one homer, eight RBIs and six steals in 29 games.
Taveras debuted in 2020 after developing as one of the top prospects in Texas’ system. Signed for $2.6 million as an international free agent in July 2015, Taveras quickly became a player of interest in the Rangers' system, ranking as MLB Pipeline’s No. 34 prospect before the 2018 season.
After initial lumps in parts of two seasons from 2020-21, Taveras began to blossom, posting a .711 OPS and 3.6 FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement from 2022-23. He had a career season in the Rangers’ World Series-winning 2023 season, posting a .733 OPS and 2.4 WAR as the everyday center fielder for Texas.
With Taveras on outright waivers, 29 MLB clubs have the opportunity to claim him. Claiming priority is based on reverse winning percentage, meaning the team with the worse winning percentage gets priority for Taveras. If Taveras clears outright waivers without being claimed, the Rangers have the option of assigning him outright to the Minor Leagues.