Rangers sign Yovani Gallardo to minor-league deal

The Rangers have signed right-handed pitcher Yovani Gallardo to a minor-league deal, per a club announcement Friday afternoon.

Gallardo, 32, joins the Rangers for a second stint after posting a solid 3.42 ERA and 1.42 WHIP over 33 starts in 2015. He’s generally been a dependable middle-of-the-rotation starter over his 12-year major-league career, posting a 3.97 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 301 appearances (289 starts), including an All-Star appearance in 2010, but he’s struggled mightily over the past two seasons and into the beginning of 2018, throwing for a 5.81 ERA (fourth-worst among pitchers with at least 200 innings) over that span.

Gallardo joined the Brewers on a non-guaranteed major-league deal over the offseason but was released after he failed to win a job on their Opening Day roster. He signed with the Reds and allowed eight runs on eight hits and four walks in 2.1 innings spread over three relief appearances before being designated for assignment by Cincinnati on April 10.

The Rangers don’t have a ton of starting depth at the moment, as offseason free-agent addition Doug Fister is on the DL with a right hip strain and 44-year-old Bartolo Colon is holding down the fifth starter spot. With Matt Moore and Martin Perez both off to disastrous starts, perhaps Gallardo could provide an alternative in the rotation if Texas feels the need to shake things up as the season goes on.