Rangers sign Carlos Gomez to minor-league deal

The Rangers are signing outfielder Carlos Gomez to a minor-league deal for the rest of the season, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. Gomez was recently released by the Astros after being designated for assignment, and will begin at Triple-A Round Rock before joining the major-league team.

Gomez, 30, will give Texas an outfield option alongside Ian Desmond and Nomar Mazara in the wake of the club losing Shin-Soo Choo to a fractured forearm. The club has been utilizing Jurickson Profar in left field, but may turn to Gomez as a more established option at the position.

Gomez was cut loose by Houston after posting a horrendous .210/.272/.322 line with five homers in 85 games. The Astros acquired Gomez (and righty Mike Fiers) for prized prospects Josh Hader, Brett Phillips, Adrian Houser and Domingo Santana at last year’s trade deadline, and parted with him just over a year later.

Gomez, a free agent after the season, will look to re-establish his value in the final six weeks of the season. He appears to be a candidate to sign an incentive-based, short-term deal in free agency this winter.

Gomez is a veteran of 10 major-league seasons with the Mets (2007), Twins (2008-09), Brewers (2010-15) and Astros (2015-16). He was named to the National League All-Star team twice as a Brewer, in 2013 and 2014.