The Texas Rangers have purchased the contracts of righthanded pitchers David Davalillo and Leandro Lopez and first baseman Abimelec Ortiz, the team announced today. With those moves, the 40 man roster
now stands at 38.
Today was the deadline for adding players to the 40 man roster in advance of the Rule 5 Draft. There were four players who were more or less seen as being legitimately in the mix to be added by the Rangers — Davalillo, Lopez, Ortiz, and infielder Cam Cauley.
Davalillo, a 23 year old righthander, was generally seen as the only one who was a lock to be added. He put up a 2.44 ERA in 107 innings over 23 appearances between high-A and AA, with 126 Ks against 28 walks.
Lopez, also a 23 year old righthander, missed most of the 2024 season, throwing just 13 innings at high-A and 19 innings in the Arizona Fall League. He came back strong in 2025, however, with a 2.40 ERA in 101 innings over 23 appearances between high-A and AA, with 116 Ks against 41 walks.
Ortiz is a lefthanded hitting first baseman who has also played some right field. Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2021, Ortiz turns 24 in February. Midway through the 2025 season he seemed unlikely to be added, as he was putting up middling numbers while repeating AA. However, he went on a tear in the second half, earning a promotion to AAA, where he slashed .283/.388/.565 with 36 Ks against 21 walks in 165 plate appearances over 41 games for Round Rock.
