Rangers DFA Carlos Pena, recall J.P. Arencibia, activate Geovany Soto
Tap here to access our MLB Trade Tracker which includes all trades and rumors leading up to the July 31 trade deadline.
You may think you know J.P. Arencibia, but the version you'll see this weekend in Toronto when he makes his return will be like nothing you've seen before. That's because Arencibia, whose bat couldn't play at catcher, is now a first baseman.
And yes, he's back with the Texas Rangers after a 48-game stint at Triple-A, having been recalled on Thursday, one of several notable moves the Rangers made:
The Rangers activate Geovany Soto, recall C-1B J.P. Arencibia & designate for assignment 1B Carlos Pena. Per club announcement
— Scott Miller (@ScottMillerBbl) July 17, 2014
Arencibia has spent about half of his time at Triple-A learning to play first base, but he'll need to hit far better than his career .208/.255/.400 line for playing him at a traditionally offensive position make any semblance of sense. While in the minors, Arencibia hit .279/.320/.542 but still struck out 26.1 percent of the time, so let's just say skepticism is appropriate.
Of course, he'll be taking the place of Carlos Pena, who has been DFAd after just 18 games, during which he hit .136/.190/.237 and cost the Rangers nearly a full game based on the wins above replacement metric. It seems as if the 36-year-old Pena may be at the end of the line as a major leaguer, having now bounced between four teams over the last three seasons without much success.
The team also activated catcher Geovany Soto, who has missed the entire season so far due to a torn meniscus in his left knee. Soto spent time recently at Double-A and Triple-A, totaling 38 plate appearances to get his sea legs about him. Last season, Soto hit .245/.328/.466 for the Rangers and should bring some stability to a position the Rangers have gotten just .232/.271/.387 and 1.4 wins above replacement out of.