Rangers throw haymaker back at Rougned Odor, cutting him loose

The Texas Rangers informed infielder Rougned Odor that he will not make the team’s Opening Day roster.

The Texas Rangers were in desperate need of a rebuild, and they seem to have fully embraced it. If it was not obvious before, the AL West team solidified it by their actions on Monday ahead of the start of the season.

At the end of spring training, the Rangers informed veteran infielder Rougned Odor will not make the 2021 Opening Day roster. The team will look for a willing trade partner, but will designated him for assignment if there are no takers.

Rangers embrace rebuild by telling Rougned Odor they are designating him for assignment

Odor joined the Rangers organization back in 2011 as an international free agent and ultimately made his major league debut in 2014. Odor possessed tremendous power in the batters box and became a well-recognized name for his role in the Rangers’ rivalry with the Toronto Blue Jays. After the bat flip heard around the world in the 2015 AL Divisional Series, Odor notably got into a fight with outfielder Jose Bautista the following regular-season, where the second baseman landed a right hook that resulted in a benches-clearing brawl.

After signing a six-year, $49.5 million contract extension prior to the start of the 2017 season, Odor’s production at the plate plummeted. Odor hit slightly above the Mendoza line in 2017 and 2019, and despite leading the team with 30 RBI last season, he batted .167.

This spring, Odor was moved over from second base to third to make way for Nick Solak to start in his place. In 35 games, Odor slashed .200/.300/.400 with two home runs and five RBI.

Odor’s Rangers tenure officially ends after seven seasons, where he recorded a .237 batting average, 728 OPS, 146 home runs, 458 RBI, 429 runs scored and 749 hits.