Rangers set to designate Asdrubal, Federowicz

ARLINGTON -- The Rangers are ready to start looking at younger players with Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Jose Trevino getting ready to return to the big leagues.

The Rangers announced after their 9-7 win over the Mariners on Wednesday night that they will designate for assignment third baseman Asdrúbal Cabrera and catcher Tim Federowicz before Friday’s game with the Tigers at Globe Life Park.

Trevino is being called up to share the catching duties with Jeff Mathis. Kiner-Falefa, who began the season as a catcher, will get most of the playing time at third base. Logan Forsythe will also be used at third, and the Rangers may look at utility player Danny Santana at that spot.

“We want to have the opportunity to play some of these guys if they deserved,” general manager Jon Daniels said. “With the way the playing time would be shaking out, there wouldn’t have been a whole lot of playing time for Asdrubal. From a defensive standpoint, we think Kiner is an upgrade at third base and Trevino, that’s his forte behind the plate. Gives us a chance to upgrade in two spots defensively.”

Kiner-Falefa began his professional career as an infielder and he started catching in 2016. That appeared to be a permanent move in Spring Training this year, but that changed after he went on the injured list on June 7 with a sprained middle finger on his right hand.

Daniels said the Rangers haven’t closed the door on Kiner-Falefa catching again, but right now the focus for him will be at third base.

“We put a tall task in front of him having him catch at the Major League level,” Daniels said. “He’s done an unbelievable job, worked his tail off, gotten a lot better. There is still a ways to go and I think the reality is if we want him to develop exclusively as a catcher, it would probably be in the Minor Leagues. Jose is a little ahead of him defensively. Kiner deserved the opportunity to come up and play and the opportunity is at third base.”

Trevino, a sixth-round pick out of Oral Roberts in the 2014 MLB Draft, has always been a highly-regarded defensive catcher, but he has been held back by injury. He had left shoulder surgery in July 2018, and he has played in just 39 games at Triple-A Nashville this season -- hitting .229/.266/.340. He played in three games for the Rangers last season.

The Rangers have talked about playing Santana at third base, although that’s the one spot besides catcher he hasn’t played this season. That could be a spot for him next season, but Daniels isn’t ready to go there yet.

“Maybe,” Daniels said. “We’ll see. He’s so valuable because he can move around at so many spots. We have a ways to go before we put next year’s club together so he’ll continue to move around.”