The Texas Rangers acquired infielder Carlos Asuaje from the San Diego Padres via a waiver claim, the club announced Monday. The 27-year-old had been designated for assignment by the Padres on Dec. 7.
Asuaje has seen major league action with the Padres in each of the last three seasons, posting a career .240 batting average over 175 games from 2016-18. His .995 fielding percentage at second base last season was 3rd-highest in MLB among players with 200-or-more chances. He also batted .314 with an .849 OPS figure over 47 games at Triple-A El Paso in the Pacific Coast League in 2018. Asuaje has played almost exclusively at second base in the majors, but has also played third base and left field in his pro career. At the minor league level, he has compiled a career .289 batting average and .813 OPS mark in 555 games.
The Venezuela native played at St. Thomas Aquinas High School and Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. before he was selected in the 11th round of the 2013 June draft by the Boston Red Sox. He was acquired by San Diego in a November 13, 2015 trade with Boston involving reliever Craig Kimbrel.
With the addition of Asuaje, the Rangers now have 35 players on the club’s major league roster.
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