June 8 (UPI) -- The Texas Rangers designated veteran outfielder and designated hitter Khris Davis for assignment Tuesday.
Rangers general manager Chris Young announced the roster move before Tuesday night's game against the San Francisco Giants.
"It's less about Khris Davis' performance and more about the club in general, the state of our group and where we are and what aligns with our goals for this year," Young said. "This was really, really hard in a lot of ways because we love having him around and the influence that he's had on our group.
"But unfortunately, the performance has been probably a little less than we expected, and certainly we need to take a look at our younger guys."
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Davis, who was acquired in the trade that sent shortstop Elvis Andrus to the Oakland Athletics in late February, was hitting just .157 in his first season with the Rangers. He had two home runs and five RBIs in 22 games for Texas this year after beginning the season on the injured list with a strained left quad.
The 33-year-old Davis topped the American League in home runs during the 2018 season for the A's. He bashed 48 homers that year and went on to win the Edgar Martinez Award as MLB's top designated hitter.
In 963 career games with the Milwaukee Brewers, A's and Rangers, Davis has recorded a .241 batting average with 220 home runs and 585 RBIs.
The Rangers now have seven days to trade or release Davis, who also could be sent down to the minors if he accepted to do so. Texas recalled infielder/outfielder Eli White from Triple-A Round Rock in a corresponding roster move.
