Cuban outfielder Dairon Blanco is heading to the Texas Rangers after being claimed off waivers from the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, injecting more speed and depth into their outfield. To create space on the 40-man roster, the Rangers transferred left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery to the 60-day injured list as he continues recovering from Tommy John ligament replacement surgery performed on March 28, 2025.
Blanco, 32, spent parts of four major league seasons with Kansas City from 2022 through 2025. In 171 career MLB games, he produced a .257/.312/.416 slash line with seven home runs, 12 doubles, four triples, and 34 RBIs while stealing 59 bases in 73 attempts. His speed has been a defining trait, as he has been used as a pinch runner 64 times since 2022, the most in Major League Baseball during that period. Of his 59 career steals, 30 came as a pinch runner, the highest total in the league since his debut in 2022 and the 10th-most by any player in that role since at least 1974.
Blanco has also made a historic impact on the bases. His 59 steals are the third-most through a player's first 171 games in Kansas City's history, behind only Jarrod Dyson and Willie Wilson, who each had 60. In 2024 alone, Blanco recorded 24 pinch-run stolen bases, the third-highest single-season total since 1974 behind Larry Lintz (31 in 1976) and Herb Washington (29 in 1974).
Defensively, Blanco has started games at all three outfield positions in the majors, with 33 in left field, 24 in right, and 18 in center. He played only nine MLB games in 2025 but spent most of the season at Triple-A Omaha, where he hit .253 (65-for-257) and successfully stole 32 bases in 35 attempts.
The Royals designated Blanco for assignment after signing veteran outfielder Starling Marte and adding Isaac Collins, leaving little roster space in the outfield.
Montgomery, 33, signed a one-year deal with Texas on Feb. 13, 2026, after missing the 2025 season while rehabbing elbow surgery. The left-hander owns a 46-41 record with a 4.03 ERA and 788 strikeouts in 166 career games (161 starts) with the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Rangers, and Arizona Diamondbacks. He joined Texas at the trade deadline and immediately made a difference, going 4-2 with a 2.79 ERA in 11 regular-season games and picking up two wins in the ALCS, including the winner-takes-all Game 7.
