ARLINGTON — On Sunday, the Texas Rangers revealed that they have promoted infielder Jonathan Ornelas and pitcher Owen White to the Major Leagues as rosters expanded to 28 players. Both players, who were already on the 40-man roster, are eligible for the game against the Oakland Athletics, and no additional roster moves were needed.
White, selected by the Rangers as a second-round pick in 2024 from China Grove, N.C., has appeared in two games with the team this year, posting a 54.00 ERA due to allowing six earned runs in just one inning. In May, he pitched in two games, surrendering three earned runs in each, and failed to record an out in one of those games. He also made his MLB debut last year, with two relief appearances in that season.
He posted a 2-8 record with a 5.15 ERA over 25 games (15 starts) at Round Rock, accumulating 80 strikeouts and 44 walks. Recently, the right-handed pitcher has moved to a relief role, and manager Bruce Bochy noted that White was promoted to provide long relief.
White mentioned that he and the Rangers have been discussing shifting him to a relief role for a year. He feels that pitching aggressively out of the bullpen suits him well.
“For now, I’m a reliever,” he said. “I’ll do whatever they ask of me.”
Ornelas, a third-round pick in 2018, has been with the Rangers twice before this season, with his most recent appearance on July 26. He has a .150 batting average in 11 games with 20 at-bats. Like White, he made his MLB debut last season.
At Round Rock, he has a .251/.322/.326/.648 batting line with three home runs and 29 RBIs. Bochy plans to use Ornelas to provide veteran infielders with rest as the season approaches its final month.
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