ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers announced the following roster moves prior to the first game of the club’s road trip on Tuesday in Anaheim:
- Right-handed pitcher Kyle Gibson placed on 10-day Injured List, retroactive to May 22, with a right groin strain
- Right-handed pitcher Hunter Wood placed on 10-day Injured List, retroactive to May 23, with right elbow discomfort
- Left-handed pitcher Wes Benjamin recalled from Triple-A Round Rock
- Right-handed pitcher Demarcus Evans (#67) recalled from Triple-A Round Rock
Gibson last pitched on Friday vs. Houston, and he is eligible to return to the active roster on June 1. He has a 3-0 record with a 2.24 ERA (15 ER/60.1 IP) over 10 games/starts for the Rangers this season, ranking among American League leaders in ERA (4th, 2.24), WHIP (5th 1.01), innings (6th, 60.1), and opponent batting average (7th, .193). Over his last 9 starts beginning April 7, Gibson has a 1.50 ERA (10 ER/60.0 IP) while holding opponents to a .178 batting average.
Wood has produced a 3.60 ERA (2 ER/5.0 IP) over 5 relief appearances for Texas since having his contract selected from Round Rock (AAA) on May 15. He exited the Rangers’ game on Saturday vs. Houston with the right elbow issue. Wood made 2 appearances with the Express before his promotion, allowing one run/earned run in 2.2 innings, and also pitched once for the Alternate Site team in April before the start of the Triple-A season. He was on the Rangers taxi squad for the club’s first three road trips in April.
Benjamin has a 0-2 record with a 7.36 ERA (6 ER/7.1 IP) over 4 games/one start spanning two stints with the Rangers this season: Opening Day-April 16 and May 14. His last outing with Texas was a start on May 14 at Houston (1.2 IP, 3 R-ER). He has spent the balance of the season with Round Rock, going 1-1 with a 6.14 ERA (5 ER/7.1 IP).
Evans, 24, will be seeking his first Major League action this season. He made 4 relief appearances for the Rangers in September of last season, allowing one run over 4.0 innings in his MLB debut. At the start of Spring Training this season, Evans was still returning from a right lat strain, and he did not pitch in any Cactus League games for Texas. He has posted a 1-0 record with a 2.35 ERA (2 ER/7.2 IP) and .172 opponents batting average over 5 relief appearances with Round Rock this month, last pitching on Friday at Tacoma (2.0 IP, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 38 pitches/23 strikes). Evans also pitched 1.0 scoreless inning in his lone appearance for the Alternate Site team in April. He was rated as the Rangers’ 22nd-best prospect by Baseball America prior to the 2021 campaign.
Following today’s transactions, the Rangers remain at the 40-man limit on the Major League roster, along with six players on the 60-day Injured List.
From Rangers PR staff reports