The Rangers signed a right-hander Nabil Crismatt to a minor league deal, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News on X. The righty will report to Triple-A Round Rock in the coming days.
Crismatt, 29, returned to free agency earlier this week. He has been in and out of the Dodgers lineup a few times this year. He signed a minor league deal with that team over the winter and was added to the roster in late March. He played in one game before being assigned and fully accepted. He was re-elected in late April and made four more appearances before losing his roster spot again.
Within those works, the results of his small sample of work have been respectable. Crismatt has allowed two earned runs in seven major league innings so far this year, striking out six batters without issuing a walk. His 12 2/3 Triple-A innings this year have produced a 5.68 ERA, albeit with some positives. He has struck out 28.8% of batters at that rate without a walk. The high ERA is due to three home runs, a 55.6% slugging percentage and a .353 batting average on balls in play.
He had a frustrating 2023 season but has been in good form the last two seasons. Last year, a strained hip cost him several months of the season and he struggled on the mound. He had an 8.31 ERA in 13 MLB innings and a 6.86 ERA in 59 Triple-A innings.
He spent 2021 and 2022 as a long reliever with the Padres. He threw 148 2/3 innings in 95 appearances with a 3.39 ERA. His 21.6% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rate were close to average but he got ground balls at a solid 50.6% clip.
The Dodgers tend to fire players from the back end of their bullpen, which has put Crismatt on the buyout log several times. This time, he will switch organizations and see if he can play a role in Arlington. The Rangers currently have ten pitchers on the injured list, however Dane Dunning expected to leave IL and start today's game. That will still leave them with it Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Tyler Mahle, Cody Bradford, Nathan Eovaldi, Brock Burke, Carson Coleman, Austin Pruitt again Josh Sborz on the shelf.
Crismatt has decent numbers this year and has an impressive record during his time with the Padres. If the Rangers need a new arm sometime in the coming weeks, Crismatt will probably get the call. If he does, he's out of options but also has less than three years of major league service left, meaning he could be retained this season if he holds a roster spot at the end of the year.
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