Rangers Shake Up Bullpen and Designate Alexis Diaz for Assignment

Alexis Díaz was the odd man out for the Texas Rangers after they made their signing of reliever Jalen Beeks official on Friday.

The Rangers designated Díaz for assignment, which cleared a space on the 40-man roster for Beeks, who signed a Major League deal with Texas.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

It doesn't mean that Díaz’s time with the Rangers is done. But it means he must go through the waiver process and go unclaimed by any other team before the Rangers can option him to a minor league affiliate. Diaz also has the service time to refuse an assignment and become a free agent.

Texas signed the reliever for $2 million this offseason but his performance in spring training made it clear he had not reclaimed the form that made him a National League All-Star in 2023.

Alexis Díaz Out with Rangers

Atlanta Braves pitcher Alexis Diaz pitches the ball. — Atlanta Braves pitcher Alexis Diaz. | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

In spring training, the 29-year-old gave up three hits and eight earned runs in 1.2 innings of work, as he went 0-2 with a 43.20 ERA in three games. He struck out one and walked four. The right-hander played his way out of being a potential high-leverage option for Texas with less than two weeks left before opening day.

When he broke in with Cincinnati in 2022, he was the Reds’ closer for three seasons, as he racked up 75 saves and had a respectable 2.93 ERA. He was also 18-14 and had 244 strikeouts, with more than 10 punchouts per nine innings.

He finished fifth in National League rookie of the year voting in 2022 and was a NL All-Star in 2023. Last season was an entirely different matter.

He started the season with a hamstring injury and when he returned, he struggled. Cincinnati optioned him back to Triple-A and later traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers in May. He had mechanical issues in the Dodgers and was designated for assignment in September. He landed in Atlanta on waivers and continued to struggle. After three excellent seasons in Cincinnati, he went 1-0 with an 8.15 ERA in 18 games in 2025, with 17 strikeouts and 12 walks in 17.2 innings.

Beeks, a seven-year MLB veteran, went 5-3 with a 3.77 ERA in 61 games with Arizona last season. The left-hander boasted good effectiveness with hitters on both sides of the plate. He was equally effective against lefties (.611 opponent OPS) and right-handed batters (.624 opponent OPS), with his .618 overall opponent OPS ranking seventh among left-handed relievers in the National League.