Rangers sign Nabil Crismatt to a minor league contract
The Rangers have signed right-hander Nabil Crismatt to a minor league contract, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News on X. The right-hander will report to Triple-A Round Rock in the coming days.
Crismatt, 29, returned to free agency earlier this week. He has been on and off the Dodgers’ roster a few times this season. He signed a minor league contract with the organization over the winter and was promoted to the roster in late March. He pitched one game before being designated for assignment and accepted an outright offer. He was selected again in late April and made four more appearances before losing his roster position once more.
Around those transactions, the results of his little sample of work have been satisfactory. Crismatt has allowed two earned runs in seven major league innings this season, striking out six and issuing no walks. This year, he has a 5.68 ERA after 12 2/3 Triple-A innings, but there are some encouraging indications. He has struck out 28.8% of batters at that level, with no walks. The high ERA is the result of three home runs allowed, a 55.6% strand rate, and a.353 batting average on balls in play.
He had a tough 2023 season after being in good form the previous two. Last year, a hip ailment cost him many months of the season, and he struggled on the mound. He has an 8.31 ERA in 13 Major League innings and a 6.86 ERA in 59 Triple-A innings.
He spent 2021 and 2022 as a long reliever with the Padres. In 95 appearances, he pitched 148 2/3 innings with a 3.39 ERA. His strikeout rate of 21.6% and walk rate of 7.3% were both near to average, but he had a high ground ball rate of 50.6%.
Crismatt has appeared on the Dodgers’ transaction logs several times as a result of the team’s constant turnover in the bullpen. This time, he’ll change organizations and see if he can carve out a place in Arlington. The Rangers presently have 10 pitchers on the injured list, with Dane Dunning slated to return and start today’s game. That leaves them with Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Tyler Mahle, Cody Bradford, Nathan Eovaldi, Brock Burke, Carson Coleman, Austin Pruitt, and Josh Sborz on the shelf.
Crismatt has some decent numbers this year and an amazing track record with the Padres. If the Rangers require a fresh arm in the coming weeks, Crismatt may be called up. provided he does so, he is out of options but has less than three years of major league service time, which means he might be kept beyond this season provided he remains on the roster at the conclusion of the year.
