It’s safe to say that Jake Burger did not make a good first impression with the Rangers.
Texas optioned Burger, 29, to Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday, according to The Athletic.
Because Burger still has one minor league option remaining, he will not have to clear waivers before being sent down to the minors.
This move comes after an abysmal 30 games from Burger to open up the year, which saw him hit .190 with a .561 OPS, striking out in nearly a 1/3 of his 100 at-bats.
Despite the early move back down to the minors, Burger, playing in his first year with Texas, is not expected to stay down there for a long time, using this as an opportunity to “reset” before calling him up again in the future, The Athletic reported.
MLB rules state a player has to stay a minimum of 10 days once being sent down to the minor leagues before being promoted back.
To replace Burger, the Rangers will be calling up first baseman Blaine Crim, who was the team’s 19th-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft.
Rangers general manager Chris Young told the Dallas Morning News on Tuesday that he was planning to make a change and start looking for players to help the team from the farm system.
“We have guys going well at Triple-A who, if things don’t improve, we obviously will have to consider,” Young said. “I can’t run from that. But, at the same time, I believe in this group and their baseball cards. And I believe they are going to turn some of their seasons around. But it’s up to them to do that.”
The Rangers traded for Burger from the Marlins during the offseason in December, looking to replace Nathaniel Lowe, whom the Rangers traded to the Nationals.
Burger hit .250 with 23 doubles and 29 home runs through 137 games with the Marlins in 2024 after he hit 34 dingers the season before with Miami and the White Sox.