Texas Rangers DFA Veteran One Day After MLB Return, Promote Former Gold Glover

The Texas Rangers made some roster moves on Wednesday, and that included designating one of their veteran pitchers for assignment and adding a former Gold Glove winner to the roster.

Jun 16, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Dane Dunning (33) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers finally saw their offense come to life on Tuesday.

In the midst of a prolonged stretch where they had difficulty producing runs, the lineup exploded and put 15 up on the scoreboard, almost double the amount of their previous single-game high so far this season.

But the strong hitting performance wasn't the only storyline that come from this contest.

The Rangers also got a vintage version of Jacob deGrom, which could be a sign that the best for the two-time NL Cy Young winner is yet to come.

Lost in that shuffle was the return of Dane Dunning, the veteran pitcher who was a key part of the World Series-winning team in 2023, but dealt with injuries last year that impacted his standing on the team.

Even in the midst of the blowout, Dunning recorded his first career save since he pitched three innings of relief with a lead, a rule of Major League Baseball.

However, that could have been the final stint of his tenure with Texas.

According to Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, the Rangers have designated Dunning for assignment to clear space on the roster for the promotion of catcher Tucker Barnhart.

The Rangers have DFA’d Dane Dunning & selected Tucker Barnhart to help out at catcher with Kyle Higashioka having some hamstrung tightness

— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) April 30, 2025

Barnhart was signed to a minor league contract this offseason after electing to become a free agent following his second stint with the Cincinnati Reds.

Kyle Higashioka hasn't been placed on the injured list as of yet, so the expectation is his workload will be reduced during this time to avoid a stint on the IL.

Barnhart is a two-time Gold Glove winner at catcher, so he will continue to provide a strong defensive presence when he gets into the game, either as a defensive sub or in relief of Jonah Heim.

What happens with Dunning will be interesting to monitor.

After the outing he had on Tuesday, there could be some teams around the league interested in adding the veteran to their pitching staff, so he might either be claimed off waivers or traded within the week.