The Rangers have agreed to terms with infielder Andrew Velazquez on a minor league deal, the club announced this week. The pact includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training. Velazquez is represented by CAA Sports.
The 31-year-old Velazquez spent the 2025 campaign in the Yankees organization. He put together a standout season on the basepaths with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, swiping 25 bags in 106 games. Velazquez hasn’t played in the big leagues since 2023, but he’s piled up 58 steals over the past two seasons at Triple-A.
Arizona took Velazquez in the seventh round of the 2012 draft. After a couple of seasons in the low levels of the Diamondbacks system, he was traded to Tampa Bay along with Justin Williams for Jeremy Hellickson. Velazquez slowly moved up the ladder with the Rays, debuting with the big-league club in 2018. He appeared in 23 games with Tampa Bay from 2018 to 2019, before being dealt again, this time to Cleveland. Velazquez would continue to bounce around from there, spending time with the Orioles, Yankees, and Angels over the next few seasons.
Velazquez has never contributed much as a hitter at the highest level, recording a 48 wRC+ across 624 plate appearances. Speed is his main contribution on the offensive side, as he has 40 steals in 275 games. The Angels gave Velazquez the longest look, as he operated as their primary shortstop in 2022. The light-hitting Velazquez popped nine of his 12 career homers that season, though he slashed a meager .196/.236/.304 over 125 games. The defining moment of Velazquez’s career came the year prior, when the Bronx native was playing for his hometown squad. The light-hitting infielder slugged his first career home run in front of several family members at Yankee Stadium.
While he’s mostly played shortstop, Velazquez has experience at second base, third base, and all three outfield positions. He’s seldom graded as a plus defender, but his versatility could allow him to provide value to a big-league team. With Marcus Semien now in New York, utilityman Josh Smith is expected to step into an everyday role for the Rangers. Considering the extensive injury histories of Corey Seager and Josh Jung, Texas could use some reliable infield depth.
Photo courtesy of Mike Watters, Imagn Images