Texas Rangers Hire Tony Fernandez to Front Office

The Texas Rangers have hired former All-Star shortstop Tony Fernandez as a special assistant to general manager Jon Daniels.

Fernandez went to five All-Star games and won four straight Gold Gloves (1986-1989) with Toronto, where he spent most of his 17-year big league career that ended in 2001. He reached the playoffs with five different teams and won a World Series with the Blue Jays in 1993.

"We're excited to welcome Tony to our organization," Daniels said in a statement. "His work ethic and performance on the field are matched only by his grace and commitment to the community. He'll be able to help our players in a number of ways."

The 49-year-old Fernandez was a career .288 hitter and had a .327 batting average in 43 postseason games.  He played in a total of 2,158 Major League Games, collecting 2,276 hits and finished with a career average of .288. His .979 career fielding percentage as a shortstop ranks sixth all-time among players with at least 1,000 games.

Since he retired, Fernandez has earned several degrees in ministry school and is an ordained minister. He helps run the Tony Fernandez Foundation, a nonprofit with offices in Canada, the U.S. and his native Dominican Republic.

Meanwhile the Rangers completed a trade Tuesday with the Cleveland Indians. Texas acquired left-handed reliever Kelvin De La Cruz from the Indians for cash considerations and placed him on their 40-man roster. He was designated for assignment by the Indians last week.

De La Cruz, 23, has never pitched above Double A. He was 5-6 with a 4.19 ERA in 16 starts and seven relief appearances for Double-A Akron last season. He held left-handed hitters to a .143 batting average.

The Rangers now have 59 players in camp, including 32 pitchers. The primary candidates for left-handed relief are Joe Beimel, Mitch Stetter, Michael Kirkman, Ben Snyder, Martin Perez and Miguel de los Santos.