Former outfielder signs with Texas Rangers to be a pitcher
Four more guys, including a former outfielder who now plans to pitch, were signed to minor-league contracts by the Texas Rangers. After signing a contract, outfielder DJ Peters, who appeared in 52 games for the Rangers in 2021, will be sent to minor league spring training in Surprise, Arizona, to serve as a pitcher. Three other players, José Godoy, Danny Duffy, and Chasen Shreve, signed minor-league contracts and were invited to Major League spring training. In 2021, Peters batted.191 for the Rangers.
The Los Angeles Dodgers placed him on waivers, and Texas claimed him. He split the 2022 season between Triple-A Rochester of the Minnesota Twins organization and the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization after being released by the Rangers. He became a member of the Detroit Tigers organization in 2023 and attempted to pitch for their Rookie-level Florida Complex League Tigers. In 17 bullpen appearances, he was 1-0 with a 6.23 ERA, 24 strikeouts, and 27 walks.
The Los Angeles Dodgers first selected Peters in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft. In 2023, Duffy appeared in 28 relief games for the Rangers’ minor-league teams in Round Rock, the AAA, and Frisco, the AA, finishing 2-2 with a 3.28 ERA (13 ER/35.2 IP). He never played in the Major Leagues. He was 68-68 with a 3.95 ERA in 11 seasons with Kansas City. He was a player on the Royals’ 2015 World Series winning team that included Rangers general manager Chris Young.
Godoy split the previous season between the Triple-A teams of the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and Norfolk. Over the course of 36 games, he slashed.267/.356/.397/.753 (31-116) with four home runs, three doubles, and fourteen RBI. He has played in Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Minnesota as a Major League Baseball hitter, hitting.123. Shreve had 50 bullpen appearances with Detroit and Cincinnati last season, going 1-2 with a 4.63 ERA. He has spent the previous ten seasons in the Major Leagues, where he has appeared in 367 bullpen appearances for seven different clubs, going 22-14 with a 3.97 ERA. The Rangers now have 67 players on their spring training roster with today’s additions: 27 non-roster invitees and the entire 40-man roster.
