Texas Rangers Call Up Prospect Grant Anderson to Aid Bullpen

Texas Rangers prospect Grant Anderson has been one of the best relievers in the minors this season.

The Texas Rangers’ decision to call up pitcher Grant Anderson allows him to make his Major League debut — and to get the bullpen some much-needed help.

Anderson has been one of the better relievers in the Texas system all season. The American League West-leading Rangers (34-19) face the Detroit Tigers (25-27) on Tuesday at 5:40 p.m. CT.

Martín Pérez (6-1, 3.83) is starting for Texas and Alex Faedo (1-2, 4.15) goes for the Tigers.

To make the room for Anderson, the Rangers sent Sunday’s starting pitcher Cody Bradford back to Triple-A Round Rock. Because Anderson was not on the 40-man roster, the Rangers had to make a moves and designated pitcher Ricky Vanasco for assignment.

This will be the right-handed Anderson’s big chance to impress the Rangers at a time in which they need some help in the bullpen. Texas relievers enters Tuesday with a 4.64 ERA, which is 12th in the AL.

The Rangers did get four innings of scoreless relief in Monday’s series-opening 5-0 win.

With the Express and with Double-A Frisco this season, Anderson is 2-0 with a 3.54 ERA in 28 innings. He’s appeared in 15 games and has one save. He has a high strikeout rate, as he’s fanned 47 of the 116 hitters he’s faced this season (43.2 percent). His percentage is identical against just Triple-A hitters (38-of-88). He has the highest strikeout percentage in the Pacific Coast League.

With just the Express, he’s 1-0 with a save and a 3.80 ERA. He was promoted from Frisco on April 22.

Anderson was born in Port Arthur, Texas, and went to McNeese State in nearby Lake Charles, La. Drafted in the 21st round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners, he joined the Rangers organization via trade in 2019 in a deal that sent pitcher Connor Sadzeck to the Mariners.

Anderson’s is 18-9 overall in the minors with 19 saves, 3.84 ERA and 10.4 strikeouts per 9.0 innings figure across 146 games/one start.

The price to call him up was Vanasco, a 24-year-old right-hander whose career has been marred by injury. He opened this season on Frisco’s injured list and was activated on May 20. He’s pitched in two games. The Rangers have seven days to trade, release, or outright Vanasco to the minors.

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