Rangers 40-Man Roster Wraps: Kole Calhoun

The former Gold Glove outfielder saw his playing time decrease with the Texas Rangers as younger players came up.

InsidetheRangers.com will review each of the players on the Texas Rangers 40-man roster at the conclusion of the 2022 season.

OF Kole Calhoun

Statistics for 2022: Calhoun batted .196/.257/.330/.587 in 125 games (76-for-388) with 36 runs, 128 total bases, 14 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs and 49 RBI. He walked 27 times and struck out 136 times. He stole three bases and was caught stealing twice. Along with 20 games at designated hitter. Calhoun played 29 games in left field, one game in center field and 75 games in right field. He was not charged with an error.

Season Transactions: Calhoun started the season on the Opening Day roster. He was placed on the 10-day injured list on Aug. 4, retroactive to Aug. 3, with right heel irritation. After a short rehab stint at Triple-A Round Rock, Calhoun returned to the roster on Aug. 21.

Season Summary: This qualified as the worst season of Calhoun’s career at the plate with at least 100 games. The low mark was .208 in 2018 when he was with the Los Angeles Angels. Calhoun hasn’t hit better than .235 in the past five seasons. He lost playing time in the final two months due to injury and the emergence of younger players. But he remained a team-first player. When Leody Taveras was called up, Calhoun moved to left field, even though he had never played the position. Befitting a Gold Glove-winning outfielder, he was never charged with an error as he played 105 games in the field.

Contract Status: Calhoun is under contract for 2023 at $5.5 million. However, that’s a club option that includes no buyout money.

What’s next: I’m curious to see if the Rangers will pick up Calhoun’s option or release him. He’ll be 35 next season, and the Rangers have younger, cheaper options in the outfield, including rookie Bubba Thompson. There’s a market for a fielder of Calhoun’s caliber, if the Rangers decide to move on.

2022 Texas Rangers 40-Man Roster Wraps:

Ezequiel Duran | A.J. Alexy | Josh Smith | Tyson Miller | Corey Seager | Joe Barlow | Leody Taveras | Brad Miller | Drew Strotman | Josh Jung | Jon Gray | Taylor Hearn | Mitch Garver | Kevin Plawecki | Mark Mathias | John King | Charlie Culberson | Adolis García | Andy Ibáñez | Cole Ragans

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