Texas Rangers Outright Five Players off 40-man Roster

Texas Rangers outrighted five players off the 40-man roster Wednesday after the group cleared waivers.

Being let go where infielders Andres Blanco and Esteban German along with right-handers Omar Beltre, Eric Hurley and Merkin Valdez.

The 30-year-old Beltre spent the entire season on the disabled list after having spine surgery on Feb. 23. His only action all year came in a brief rehabilitation assignment in the Arizona League, where he made two appearances in late June and early July. He opened the season on the 15-day disabled list and was transferred to the 60-day DL on April 8 for the remainder of the year.

Blanco, 27, batted .224 with two homers and three RBIs in 36 games for the Rangers, missing six weeks due to a pair of stints on the disabled list. He wasn’t a member of any of Texas’ postseason rosters this year..

The 33-year-old German appeared in 11 games as a September call-up for Texas after spending most of the year with Triple-A Round Rock. He ranked among Pacific Coast League leaders in steals (second, 44), runs (fourth, 94), and walks (fifth, 72). He was on Texas' postseason roster for all three rounds of the 2011 playoffs.

Hurley, 26, went 8-3 with a 5.55 ERA (52 earned runs/84 1/3 innings pitched) in 16 games/starts for Round Rock in 2011. He endured two DL stints that caused him to make just two starts prior to June 20^th. Hurley was originally selected by Texas in the first round (30th overall) of the 2004 June draft.

Valdez, 29, made five appearances for Texas as a September call-up but was not with the club during the postseason. He was signed by Texas to a minor league contract on July 24 after being released by the Dodgers on July 18.

With these moves and Baltimore's acquisition of right-handed pitcher Darren O'Day on a waiver claim earlier Wednesday, the Rangers have 32 players on the club’s 40-man roster.