7:05pm: Tinoco's trade log on MLB.com shows he elected to become a free agent.
3:45 p.m.: The Rangers announced that right-hander Jesus Tinoco assigned directly to Triple-A Round Rock. This indicates that he withdrew after being nominated for the job earlier this week. You have the right to choose freedom even if it is not clear that you chose to do so.
Tinoco, 29, signed a minor league deal with Texas in the offseason and posted encouraging results for the Express. He threw 21 1/3 innings for that club, allowing a 3.80 earned run average over nine. His 11.2% walk rate was high but he got ground balls at a 47.1% clip and struck out 30.3% of the batters he faced.
He was named to the major league roster on May 23 but his results faded there. He threw a major league 10 innings for the Rangers but allowed nine earned runs in that span. He struck out nine batters but issued seven walks. Having run out of options, the club's only option to remove him from the active roster was to also remove him from the 40-man roster.
In general Tinoco was able to combine strikes in the farm but less in the big ones. Since the start of 2021, he has a 4.60 ERA in the minors while striking out 26.3% of the batters he faces. During that same span, he has a 5.34 ERA in the major leagues with an 18.8% strikeout rate.
Now he will have to decide whether to return to Round Rock or pursue opportunities elsewhere. His strikeout shows that no team is willing to give him a big league spot right now, but he shouldn't have a problem getting another minor league opportunity somewhere.
Source link
