Texas Rangers DFA Pitcher Roansy Contreras to Make Room For Nathan Eovaldi

Roansy Contreras didn't last very long in Arlington, getting let go by the Texas Rangers just six weeks after the club picked him up off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels.

Jul 23, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Roansy Contreras (57) points to a fly ball during the ninth inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers have designated right-handed pitcher Roansy Contreras for assignment, the team has announced.

Texas needed to bump Contreras off of their 40-man roster in order to make room for Nathan Eovaldi, who they officially re-signed on Thursday. So in addition to his three-year, $75 million contract, the cost of bringing Eovaldi back into the fold also included losing Contreras.

It isn't as if Contreras was a staple in Arlington – the Rangers had only claimed him off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels on Oct. 31, so he never even pitched an inning for Texas. The 25-year-old right-hander has shown promise over the years, though, so he could very well end up getting claimed by another team in the near future.

Contreras initially signed with the New York Yankees as a teenager back in 2016, and he was ranked as their No. 19 prospect when he got shipped to the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of the Jameson Taillon trade in 2021. He made his MLB debut in Pittsburgh later that year, making one scoreless start, on top of posting a 2.64 ERA and 0.931 WHIP in Triple-A.

As a rookie in 2022, Contreras went 5-5 with a 3.79 ERA, 1.274 WHIP, 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings and a 1.2 WAR. Of his 21 appearances, 18 came as a starter.

That success faded in 2023, though, as the righty went 3-7 with a 6.59 ERA, 1.566 WHIP, 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings and a -0.5 WAR. Contreras lost his spot in the starting rotation in June, then his standing on the big league roster in July.

Contreras battled his way back onto Pittsburgh's Opening Day roster in 2024 and had a 4.41 ERA and 0.1 WAR through May 16. That's when the Pirates designated Contreras for assignment and flipped him to Los Angeles for cash considerations.

In 37 appearances with the Angels, Contreras put up a 4.33 ERA, two saves and a 0.4 WAR. On the whole in 2024, Contreras went 2-4 with a 4.35 ERA, 1.376 WHIP, 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.5 WAR.

Contreras has tossed a total of 231.2 inning over the past three seasons, not including his 69.0 innings of work in the minors over that span.

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