Rangers Claim Dairon Blanco Off Waivers, Option Him to Round Rock

The Texas Rangers added outfielder Dairon Blanco to their organization by claiming him off waivers from the Kansas City Royals, then immediately optioned him to Triple-A Round Rock on March 9, removing him from big-league camp before the 2026 season begins. Kansas City had designated Blanco for assignment on March 2, opening a window that Texas used to add a versatile, speed-oriented outfielder to its 40-man roster.

Blanco, 32, carries a .257/.312/.416 career slash line across 171 MLB games from 2022 through 2025, all with Kansas City. His value has never been tied to the bat alone: he has started in all three outfield positions, logging 33 starts in left field, 24 in right, and 18 in center, and has been used as a pinch runner 64 times, the most in MLB since 2022. Over his first four seasons in the majors, he posted a 99 wRC+, essentially league average, while adding 59 stolen bases and seven home runs.

The 2025 season told a different story. Blanco appeared in just 9 games with the Royals, accumulating only 8 plate appearances at the major league level. He spent the bulk of the year at Triple-A Omaha, where he hit .253 with a .332 on-base percentage and .405 slugging percentage in 77 games, going 32-for-35 in stolen base attempts. The combination of elite baserunning and defensive flexibility made him an attractive waiver target, but the Rangers are not yet ready to hand him a roster spot.

Blanco initially appeared to be a candidate for a short-side platoon role in the Texas outfield, but will instead begin the year at Round Rock and will need to show more with the bat before earning a recall. He joins pitcher Michel Otanez, also optioned to Round Rock, as a recent waiver claim the Rangers are evaluating while they hold roster flexibility. Otanez was claimed by Texas in early November; Blanco's claim came just before the March 9 announcement. Both players could be candidates to come off the 40-man roster when the team needs space, potentially for a player such as Andrew McCutchen.

The Blanco and Otanez options were part of a broader round of roster moves the Rangers announced that day. Right-handed pitchers David Davalillo and Leandro Lopez, both added to the 40-man roster this winter, were optioned to Double-A Frisco. Neither was in contention for a spot on the Opening Day roster, and both are expected to anchor rotation spots for the RoughRiders. Texas also reassigned eight players to minor league camp: right-handed pitchers Ryan Lobus, Eric Loomis, Patrick Murphy, and Trey Supak; left-handed pitcher Robby Ahlstrom; infielder Andrew Velazquez; outfielder Aaron Zavala; and catcher Cooper Johnson.

Following all the moves, the Rangers carried 49 players in major league camp: 36 members of the 40-man roster, 12 non-roster invitees, and left-hander Jordan Montgomery on the 60-day injured list. Montgomery, who signed with Texas on February 13, 2026, is recovering from Tommy John surgery performed by team physician Dr. Keith Meister on March 28, 2025. His 46-41 career record with a 4.03 ERA and 788 strikeouts across stints with the Yankees, Cardinals, Rangers, and Diamondbacks makes him a significant piece of Texas's plans once he is healthy, but that timeline remains down the road.