Arencibia Optioned to Triple-A

It seemed like a formality, just not yet.

But the Texas Rangers have optioned their Opening Day catcher J.P. Arencibia to Triple-A Round Rock and called up Chris Gimenez to replace him as the Rangers' backup catcher after Robinson Chirinos has locked up the starting catcher's job until the return of Geovany Soto and maybe even beyond that.

Chirinos has been more than serviceable as the Rangers' catcher, especially behind the plate where he's thrown out 10 would-be base-stealers. Arencibia has been all kinds of bad, in all ways possible.

Arencibia has hit .132 this year with a .182 on-base percentage with four extra-base hits (only one home run). He was brought to Texas with hopes he could provide some power, as that's always been his one redeeming quality as a baseball player. But that has yet to come.

So this was bound to happen, it just came earlier than expected for Arencibia with Soto still a month or so away from a return to Arlington.

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