Rangers release veteran defensive catcher

The Texas Rangers have granted catcher Sandy León his release, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The veteran backstop requested to be cut loose after losing his spot on the MLB roster earlier in June.

It’s a quick turnaround. León accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Round Rock over the weekend after clearing waivers. He didn’t make another appearance at that level before deciding to seek other opportunities. That León just went unclaimed makes it seem unlikely he has another MLB job lined up, but perhaps he is receiving interest from a club with a clearer path to playing time than would have been available in Arlington.

León, 34, started the season in Round Rock. Texas called him up just four games into the season. He played in 22 MLB games as a depth option, struggling to a .146/.186/.195 line in that space while striking out in 20-of-44 plate appearances. The switch-hitter obviously hoped for better results than those, but he has rarely been an offensive threat. Aside from a BABIP-driven 2016 campaign with the Boston Red Sox, León has been a well below-average MLB hitter for his career. Going back to the start of 2020, he owns a .168/.255/.245 mark in 431 plate appearances with time split between four teams.

Despite the tepid offense, León has received plenty of opportunities on the strength of a strong defensive reputation. He is well-regarded for his receiving skills and has thrown out a solid 29.5 percent of basestealers over the course of his career. He should not have any issues finding another minor league opportunity as a result.

Jonah Heim, Mitch Garver and Sam Huff comprise Texas’ 40-man catching group and each is on the major league roster. Neither Matt Whatley nor Miguel Ojeda Jr. — the two catchers on Round Rock’s active roster — has played in the majors. Grant suggests the Rangers could look for a veteran backstop willing to sign a non-roster deal in order to add some upper-minors experience now that León is looking elsewhere.