End of the Road? Andrew McCutchen DFA’d by Texas Rangers

With the 2026 Major League Baseball season roughly one-third complete, teams are getting a pretty clear idea of what they are and what they aren’t. Those in the latter category are attempting to rectify a slow start by calling up players from the minors, hoping for a spark, or by ridding themselves of veterans. The Texas Rangers are one of those squads, and on Wednesday, they went the route of designating—a big name—for assignment (DFA). The Rangers DFA’d MVP winner Andrew McCutchen, which could signal the end of his legendary career.

McCutchen, who at 39 is the second-oldest batter in all of MLB, behind only Carlos Santana, is hitting just .192 on the season. He has only one home run and five RBI, with career-low splits across the board. He actually started the year off swinging a hot bat, with hits in each of his first six games. However, he had a total of eight hits in the ensuing 32 games and had been hitless over his last 14 plate appearances before Wednesday’s transaction.

McCutchen’s last game came in Monday’s 9-0 loss to the Houston Astros. The Rangers were the victims of a combined no-hitter in that contest, so the team’s hitting woes go far beyond McCutchen. But with the veteran providing little positional flexibility, as he’s made more appearances as a designated hitter rather than an outfielder every year since 2021, Texas opted to replace him with someone they can plug into almost any spot on the diamond.

In McCutchen’s place, the Rangers signed Nicky Lopez to a major league contract. The utility infielder spent some time with the Chicago Cubs earlier this year and has experience at multiple positions. He’s logged at least 75 games at second base, third base, and shortstop, while also seeing a handful of appearances at first base and in the outfield.

Rangers Executive Vice President and General Manager, Chris Young, spoke out on McCutchen being DFA’d, noting the team’s injuries played a role in the move.

“Certainly, we respect Andrew, what he’s accomplished, not only in this game, but more importantly, who he is as a person,” said Young. “It’s been wonderful having him, but we’re at a point where, given the injuries, Nicky gives us another option and provides some versatility, which is needed right now, given where we are.”

By being designated for assignment, McCutchen is removed from Texas’s 40-man roster immediately. Within seven days, the Rangers can either trade McCutchen or waive him. If waived, and another team claims McCutchen, then he would be added to that club’s 40-man roster. If McCutchen passes through waivers unclaimed, then, given his service time, he would become a free agent.

Given McCutchen’s struggles, this could be the end of his MLB career. He went unsigned through most of the offseason, only joining Texas after spring training had started, and he originally signed with the Rangers on a minor league deal. He impressed in baseball’s version of preseason, hitting .429 across nine Cactus League games, which led to him breaking camp with the big league club.

Last year, which was his third season in his second tenure with the Pittsburgh Pirates, McCutchen had 13 homers and 57 RBI while hitting .239. Both his slugging percentage (.367) and OPS (.700) were career lows, at that time, before even those marks bottomed out this season.

McCutchen is best known for his time in Pittsburgh, which included his original run with the Pirates from 2009-17 and a second stint from 2023-25. It was during that initial run that he became one of MLB’s faces and one of the sport’s biggest stars. He was the 2013 NL MVP and finished third in MVP voting in both 2012 and 2014. McCutchen remains Pittsburgh’s last MVP winner and keeps company with the likes of Barry Bonds, Roberto Clemente, and Willie Stargell as Pirates to win the award.

All five of McCutchen’s All-Star appearances, all four of his Silver Slugger awards, and his long Gold Glove all came in Pittsburgh. He also won the Roberto Clemente award in 2015, making the honor even more special considering its namesake played his entire career with the Pirates. Outside of Pittsburgh, McCutchen also suited up for the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and Milwaukee Brewers before linking up with the Rangers.

Over his 18-year career, McCutchen has 333 home runs, 1,157 RBI, 220 stolen bases, and 2,280 hits. He’s a .271 lifetime hitter, and he leads all active MLB players in games played, plate appearances, and at-bats. He’s one of 17 players in MLB history with at least 330 homers and 220 steals, and McCutchen is just one of 10 to add an MVP award to those numbers.

The Texas Rangers dropped their Wednesday contest to the Astros, 4-3, to put them at 25-30, sitting 2.0 games back of tying for the AL West lead. The team is attempting to end a two-year postseason drought under a new manager, Skip Schumaker, as the Rangers have failed to post a winning record since winning the 2023 World Series.