The Rangers have requested unconditional release waivers on right-hander Nick Gardewine, according to multiple reports (including this tweet from Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News). Gardewine had been designated for assignment earlier this week.

A seventh-round pick for Texas in the 2013 draft, Gardewine posted a 3.71 ERA, 3.12 K/BB rate, and 8.8 K/9 over 323 minor league innings, pitching exclusively as a reliever since the start of the 2016 season. He received a couple of looks at the big league level in the form of 15 total games for the Rangers in 2017-18, though he missed much of 2018 recovering from a forearm injury. Gardewine was on the minor league injured list at the time of his DFA, which helps to explain his release; injured players cannot be put through outright waivers. It’s common in these situations for players to re-sign with the organization on a minor league deal, though Gardewine of course has the option to pursue a new opportunity if he chooses.