Longtime Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor will not be on the Opening Day roster, president of baseball operations Jon Daniels told reporters, including The Athletic's Levi Weaver, on Monday. According to Jeff Wilson of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, the Rangers will soon designate Odor for assignment, which means Nick Solak will take over at second base, his natural position, as part of the club's youth movement and infield overhaul.
When a player's contract is designated for assignment -- often abbreviated "DFA" -- that player is immediately removed from his club's 40-man roster. Within seven days of the transaction (it had been 10 days under the 2012-16 Collective Bargaining Agreement), the player can either be traded or placed on irrevocable outright waivers.
Odor turned only 27 last month and he has been among the least productive players in baseball the last few years. Since 2017, he's authored a .215/.279/.418 batting line in nearly 2,000 plate appearances, which is roughly 23 percent below average once adjusted for ballpark. With his defense on the decline, Odor has few redeeming qualities at this point.
Dominate your Fantasy Baseball draft with our free Draft Kit, which gives you must-have sleepers, breakouts, busts, and rankings. Plus see the top players at each position, complete with winning projections. Get the Draft Kit in your inbox completely free here.
Four years ago the Rangers signed Odor to a six-year contract extension worth $49.5 million that almost immediately went south. The club still owes him $12 million in 2021 and $12 million in 2022, plus a $3 million buyout of his 2023 club option. Once released, other teams will be able to sign Odor for the prorated portion of the league minimum.
In other Rangers news, Daniels also announced that reliever Jose Leclerc will undergo Tommy John surgery and thus be lost for the entirety of the 2021 season. Leclerc originally came down with an elbow injury on March 22. The 27-year-old right-hander has a 3.19 ERA/155 ERA+ across parts of five major league seasons, all with the Rangers. All but three of his 190 games pitched have come out of the bullpen.
