Pittsburgh Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen looks out from the dugout before a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
The Texas Rangers have designated Andrew McCutchen for assignment. The move was made to make room for infielder Nicky Lopez, who was signed as a free agent.
McCutchen joined Texas on a minor-league deal in the offseason and made the club’s Opening Day roster out of spring training. It was a good start to the season for McCutchen, who had a .333 batting average and a .980 OPS through April 8. But the 39-year-old slumped to a .192/.277/.260 batting line with two doubles, one home run and five RBI in 37 games (83 plate appearances) at the time he was DFA’d.
He had been serving primarily as the right-handed half of a platoon with the left-handed hitting Joc Pederson at designated hitter.
McCutchen, of course, was a fan favorite with the Pirates and spent 12 seasons in Pittsburgh between two stints (2009-17, 2023-25). In 1,713 games with the Pirates, McCutchen owned a .281/.372/.467 batting line with 1,781 hits, 351 doubles, 45 triples, 248 home runs, 875 RBI and 186 steals.
The 2005 first-round draft pick won the 2013 National League MVP, was selected as an All-Star five times, won for Silver Sluggers and a Gold Glove during his career with the Pirates.
There was widespread speculation that McCutchen would return to the Pirates for the 2026 season, but after a number of roster moves — including signing designated hitter Marcell Ozuna — McCutchen was left searching for a new team before signing with the Rangers.
The Pirates have not received much contribution from the designated hitter spot this season, mainly because of Ozuna’s season-long struggles. The 35-year-old enters Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Cubs with a lowly .185/.271/.304 batting line with five doubles, five home runs and 21 RBI in 45 games.
Mentioned in this article: Andrew McCutchen