Texas Rangers shut down OF Alex Rios for the year

Outfielder Alex Rios, out since Sept. 4 with a thumb injury, won’t return for the Texas Rangers in 2014.

Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported, via Twitter:

More rosy #Rangers medical news: RF Alex Rios (thumb) won't play again this season.
— Jeff Wilson (@JeffWilsonTXR) September 21, 2014

The 33-year-old Rios was being counted on as a run producer for the Rangers, but he hit just .280/.311/.398 in 131 games with only four home runs and 54 RBI.

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A former All-Star with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2006-07, Rios will likely not be back with Texas in 2015. The team has a $13.5 million option on Rios for next season with a $1 million buyout and given his lack of productivity, it seems like an easy choice.

The Rangers picked up Rios in an August 2013 trade from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for infielder Leury Garcia.

Rios has had a notoriously up-and-down career. After back-to-back All-Star campaigns with the Jays, Toronto inked Rios to a seven-year, $69.8 million extension in 2008 and he proceeded to reward them with a dip from 24 homers to 15 and was hitting just .264/.317/.427 in 2009 when they placed him on revocable waivers in August.

The Chicago White Sox put in a claim and the Blue Jays didn’t bother to rescind the waivers, letting Rios go for the $20,000 waiver fee.

With the White Sox, Rios hit .284/.334/.457 in 2010, .227/.265/.348 in 2011 and .304/.334/.516 in 2012—consistent as always.

In 11 seasons, Rios is a lifetime .278/.323/.439 hitter with 165 homers and 244 stolen bases. He was the 19th overall pick by the Blue Jays out of San Pedro Martin High School in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, in 1999.

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