ATLANTA — Jared Walsh's experiment ended Saturday.
Perhaps more importantly, the Texas Rangers also did away with the Nathaniel Rowe thing. Perhaps three years have passed and he has moved from experimentation to establishment. That certainly seems to have been the message with the Rangers' decision to take Lowe off injured reserve and correspondingly designate Walsh for assignment. The Rangers need stability in their batting lineup. They called Lowe.
The Rangers have seven days to either trade Walsh or permanently transfer him to the minor leagues. It's hard to imagine that the 30-year-old would accept a full assignment and then become a free agent, free to sign with anyone who would give him another chance in the majors. The Rangers made a decision. They already have a left-handed first baseman. A pretty good version too.
“He's one of our players,” manager Bruce Bochy said Saturday afternoon before the Rangers' game against Atlanta, after inserting Lowe's name into the No. 5 spot in the lineup. “We missed his name in the lineup, his presence at first base and his humor in the clubhouse. We're all excited to have him back.”
But the question was always: How excited was management? The Rangers have liked Lowe for his first three years with the team, but there always seemed to be a hint that he could do better. His humor may have made him the butt of jokes in the clubhouse, but his play may have been the subject of everyone's analysis.
Lowe reached the bases, but had trouble hitting the fastball against the corner infielder. Then we won the Silver Slugger, but the field wasn't great. So, he is a Gold Glove player, but did he have the long hitting power to dominate that position for a long time?
Despite averaging 158 games and posting an .800 OPS over the past three seasons, it always seemed like Lowe might just be passing through.
This may, in part, help explain why Walsh signed with the Rangers on a minor league contract this spring, even though Walsh and Lowe looked a bit redundant. Walsh, 30, was a former All-Star with the Los Angeles Angels, but neurological issues caused his career to change direction. He had backgrounds with hitting instructors Donnie Ecker and Tim Heyer. He's a guy ripe for rebounding.
One could even imagine a scenario where Walsh's return might make Lowe expendable if the Rangers needed pitching help in spring training.
That didn't happen, but Lowe's oblique muscle injury allowed the Rangers to see a platoon of Walsh and Ezekiel Duran. What the Rangers discovered most: They missed Lowe at first base. He also advances his career every time he goes off the air. Last week, he was so excited in the dugout that he pitched an inning with Dave Raymond. It surprised everyone.
“I was trying to figure out things to do during the game, like touring the press box and making a cameo as a play-by-play man,” Lowe said in typical ad hoc fashion. “It was a learning experience to try to stay out of the way and still find a way to contribute. The last thing I wanted to do was get in the way of this team's success. Now, hopefully things go well. You can add the correct aspects.”
They have broadcasters. They need more first basemen. Walsh struggled badly after the first weekend of the season. Last weekend, as Lowe began his rehab stint, Walsh seemed simply overwhelmed by his fastball in Houston. He was so late that I couldn't help but wonder if his dizziness had returned. He has gone 2-for-23 (both singles) and struck out 11 over the past two weeks. Facing lefties, Duran had 5 hits in 32 at-bats. The Rangers' first base corps started Saturday with a .605 OPS, tied for 18th at the position.
Josh Jung, who was sidelined with a broken wrist, was absent for an extended period of time, and the offensive line was sluggish. As a result, the Rangers entered Saturday averaging just 4.52 points allowed and had a .687 OPS in 17 games since Chung was injured. The Rangers scored 29 points (7.25 points per game) through the first four games, posting an .879 OPS.
The Rangers originally planned to let Lowe rehab for 30 to 40 at-bats. It didn't happen. The Rangers couldn't afford it. Beyond Jung, Corey Seager may still be in spring training mode. The rookie pair of Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter looked like rookies trying to find their footing at times.
They needed stability from first base.
Perhaps it's time to realize that's exactly what they have in Nathaniel Rowe. There's nothing about it.
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