dailyloe.com – Veteran first baseman and outfielder Mark Canha has been released by the Texas Rangers. He requested his release from a minor league contract to pursue major league deals with other clubs. The news was first reported by Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The Rangers later granted the release, as confirmed by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
Canha, who is 37 years old, signed a minor league deal with the Rangers in February. He performed solidly during spring training with a .286/.318/.500 slash line. Despite this, he did not break camp with the major league club. The Rangers had a battle for their final roster spot between Canha and Andrew McCutchen.
McCutchen ultimately won the roster spot over Canha. Canha had an opt-out clause in his contract at the end of spring training. He could have returned to free agency then, but he and the Rangers agreed to a different arrangement. This agreement was reported by Evan Grant at the end of March.
Canha preferred not to travel with a minor league team. He agreed to stay with the Rangers in extended spring training in Surprise, Arizona. His full-time home is in nearby Scottsdale, allowing him to stay with his family. This also let him maintain game readiness by facing minor leaguers.
The arrangement provided the Rangers with veteran depth in case of injury. No such injury has occurred on the position player side. Almost three weeks have passed since that agreement was made. The Rangers have been fortunate with the health of their position players.
Cody Freeman has been on the injured list all year with a lower back fracture. He suffered the injury back in February. No other position player has joined him on the IL since the season began. Despite the health, some performance gaps exist.
Andrew McCutchen has not started the season strongly. He works primarily as the short side of a designated hitter platoon with Joc Pederson. McCutchen also does occasional outfield work. In a small sample of 28 plate appearances, he has struck out 12 times.
His strikeout rate is 42.9 percent through those appearances. McCutchen has drawn just one walk, a 3.6 percent walk rate. His batting line is .222/.250/.407. That translates to an 84 wRC+.
Theoretically, Mark Canha could have been substituted for McCutchen in that role. Both are veteran right-handed bats. Whether Canha could provide more than McCutchen is a fair question. Canha’s performance with the Royals last year was below average.
He slashed .212/.272/.265 for Kansas City in 2024. That production translated to a 49 wRC+. The Royals released Canha in August last year. He did not sign with another club for the final weeks of the season.
Canha had a decent spring training with the Rangers this year. It is hard to assess his current form, however. He has not been playing in official game action recently. His release allows him to seek a major league opportunity elsewhere.[]
Source: MLB Trade Rumors
