It’s a kind of birthday present for Canha, who turns 37 today. The veteran had a tough season in Kansas City last year, slashing just .212/.272/.265 in 46 games with the Royals. He suffered an adductor injury and an elbow injury that landed him on the injured list for two separate stints, and after a trade deadline that added Kansas City Mike Yastrzemski, Adam FrazierAnd Randal Grichuk Roster-wise, the team had little room to bring him back onto the roster once he was healthy enough to return. As a result, he had to be released in mid-August last year, and he was unable to join a new club before the end of the year.
After such a rough season in 2025, it’s no surprise that Canha had to settle for a minor league deal. Whether last year’s lackluster performance was simply an injury-marred blip for the veteran or a larger signal of age-related decline remains to be seen, but the Rangers are interested enough to find out to at least bring Canha to camp and see what he has left. That could be a smart move for the Rangers, given Canha’s long history of success in the majors. The veteran has posted a wRC+ of 101 or better in every season of his career in which he has reached at least 200 plate appearances. From 2018 to 2024, Canha slashed .253/.361/.415 with a wRC+ of 120, a strikeout rate of 19.7%, and a walk rate of 11.0%. Although he has only hit 20 home runs once in his career (during the juiced ball era in 2019), he has consistently posted high on-base percentages thanks to elite plate discipline.
Obviously, Canha doesn’t have to live up to his career numbers to contribute to the Rangers this year. If he can simply post a slash line similar to the one he posted for the Tigers and Giants in 2024, when he hit .242/.344/.346 (101 wRC+), that would be enough to make him a worthy addition to the Rangers’ roster. The team leaned heavily on Jake Burger at first base in 2026. He brings significant power potential, but posted a wRC+ of just 89 last season. At DH, Game Pederson returns for his age-34 campaign after a disastrous 2026 in which he hit just .181/.285/.328 with a wRC+ of 76. Even at his best, Pederson has significant platoon splits. That could make someone like Canha, who had a 123 wRC+ against lefties in 2024, a useful contributor even if both Pederson and Burger return to form this year.
As good as Canha could be if he finds his swing again, he will have competition for a bench job in Texas. Ezequiel Duran, Cody Vrijman, Sam HaggertyAnd Michael Helman all offer more positional versatility than Canha currently can, as he is completely limited to first base, DH and the corner outfield spots. Justin Foscue is a right-handed hitter who is already on the 40-man roster and who can handle second base in addition to first, and fellow non-roster invitees like Nick Pratto And Jonah Bride could also be in the mix for a spot with a strong performance in Spring Training.
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