Former Texas Rangers Top Prospect Gets Claimed off Waivers by new York Yankees

One of the past top prospects of the Texas Rangers has been claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees.

Mar 5, 2024; Peoria, Arizona, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Owen White against the Seattle Mariners during a spring training baseball game at Peoria Sports Complex | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Right now, there is an interesting six-man group set to be factors for the Texas Rangers this year.

The high-profile duo of Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom lead the way, followed by Jon Gray and Tyler Mahle and top prospects Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker. Cory Bradford could be used as well, giving the Rangers seven guys they can turn to as needed.

Ideally, that doesn't happen and Texas deploys their dream five-man rotation led by Eovaldi, deGrom, Gray, Mahle and one of the three in the mix listed above.

That would give them one of the best starting units in baseball.

However, injuries have been an issue for many of the Rangers arms, and it's hard to say that won't happen again.

Depth is something every team needs, but especially Texas.

Someone originally expected to be in the mix was Owen White, the former second-round pick of the Rangers in the 2018 draft. He worked his way up the ranks and was considered their third-best prospect in 2023 before he made his Major League debut.

But, after a solid showing in the minors, he struggled in The Show, allowing five earned runs in four innings pitched during his two appearances in 2023, then eight earned runs in three innings pitched across three outings this past season.

His struggles probably played a part in the Rangers designating him for assignment after adding Hoby Milner this winter. And following his DFA, they traded him to the Cincinnati Reds for cash.

Now, White has a new home.

Per an announcement made by the New York Yankees, they have claimed the 25-year-old off waivers from the Reds, adding him to their own 40-man roster.

This could be a tough loss for Texas.

While White didn't show a whole lot during his MLB stints, he was a talented pitching prospect coming up the ranks and still has time to become that type of arm in the future.