Texas Rangers infielder Davis Wendzel waits for a pitch at shortstop during the fifth inning of a spring training game against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, in Surprise, Ariz. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)
The Rangers announced they’ve selected infielder Davis Wendzel onto the major league roster. Rookie infielder Justin Foscue has been placed on the 10-day injured list as a result of a left oblique strain. To clear space on the 40-man roster, Texas transferred third baseman Josh Jung from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list. Wendzel, 26, is headed to the big leagues for the first time. Texas took the right-handed hitter 41st overall in the 2019 draft. The Baylor product hasn’t moved through the ranks as quickly as the team likely envisioned on draft day, but he’s now headed to Globe Life Field after parts of five seasons in the minors.
Wendzel had advanced to Triple-A in his first two-plus seasons of professional baseball. He has been playing there since 2022. Wendzel struggled in his first taste of Triple-A pitching, hitting.207/.287/.398 in 22 games. He improved in his second season, hitting 30 home runs and finishing with an average.236/.361/.477 batting line. Wendzel was undrafted in the Rule 5 draft, but he’s off to a fast start this season. In his first nine games, he has a.314/.419/.657 batting line with three home runs, four walks, and 43 strikeouts.
That good first week undoubtedly contributed to Wendzel’s elevation, but his decision was also influenced by injuries to players above him on the third base depth chart. Jung injured his right wrist after being hit by a pitch a few days into the season. He had surgery and will be out for 8-10 weeks, thus his move to the 60-day IL is a formality. Jung’s injury prompted Foscue’s first MLB call, but the Mississippi State product is on the shelf after only two plate appearances. The Rangers did not give a date for his recovery. Depending on their severity, oblique strains might cause absences of more than a month.
Since Jung’s injury, the Rangers have relied primarily on Josh Smith at third base. This is likely to continue, with righty-hitting Ezequiel Duran on hand to compliment Smith’s left-handed bat. Wendzel adds another right-handed bat to the mix and can supplement the middle infield tandem of Corey Seager and Marcus Semien.
