Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers players: who played for both
Who played for both the Rays and Rangers?
72 players played for both the Tampa Bay Rays and the Texas Rangers between 1998 and 2025, including Hank Blalock, Nelson Cruz, Carlos Peña and Nathaniel Lowe. 34 of them played for the Rays first and 34 for the Rangers first; 4 played for both in the same season.
Did you know?
- Dave Silvestri is the earliest on this list to complete the pair: Rangers first, then the Rays from 1998.
- Travis Jankowski is the most recent: Rangers first, then the Rays from 2025.
- Hank Blalock played the most games across the two: 26 for the Rays and 910 for the Rangers.
- 9 of them had two or more separate spells with one of the teams, such as Carlos Peña.
- Most common positions on this list: P (41), OF (10), 3B (6), C (5).
How many can you name?
Name players who played for both the Rays and the Rangers. The surname is enough. 0 / 72
All 72 players, most games for the two first
| Player | Pos | Rays | Rangers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hank Blalock | 3B | 2010 (26 g) | 2002–2009 (910 g) |
| Nelson Cruz | DH | 2021 (55 g) | 2006–2013 (796 g) |
| Carlos Peña | 1B | 2007–2010, 2012 (726 g) | 2001, 2014 (40 g) |
| Nathaniel Lowe | 1B | 2019–2020 (71 g) | 2021–2024 (615 g) |
| Julio Franco | SS | 1999 (1 g) | 1989–1993 (632 g) |
| Logan Forsythe | 2B | 2014–2016 (390 g) | 2019 (101 g) |
| Gabe Kapler | OF | 2009–2010 (158 g) | 2000–2002 (322 g) |
| Robinson Chirinos | C | 2011 (20 g) | 2013–2018, 2020 (456 g) |
| Brad Miller | SS | 2016–2018 (310 g) | 2022–2023 (108 g) |
| Jose Canseco | OF | 1999–2000 (174 g) | 1992–1994 (193 g) |
| Jorge Cantu | 3B | 2004–2007 (332 g) | 2010 (30 g) |
| Joaquin Benoit | P | 2010 (63 g) | 2001–2008 (274 g) |
| Bobby Witt | P | 1999 (32 g) | 1986–1992, 1995–1998 (281 g) |
| Dave Martinez | OF | 1998–2000 (262 g) | 2000 (38 g) |
| Esteban Yan | P | 1998–2002 (266 g) | 2003 (15 g) |
| Pete Fairbanks | P | 2019–2025 (267 g) | 2019 (8 g) |
| Herbert Perry | 3B | 1999–2000 (73 g) | 2002–2004 (192 g) |
| Carlos Gomez | OF | 2018 (118 g) | 2016–2017 (138 g) |
| Asdrubal Cabrera | SS | 2015 (143 g) | 2019 (93 g) |
| Mike Venafro | P | 2003 (24 g) | 1999–2001 (212 g) |
| Brian Shouse | P | 2009 (45 g) | 2003–2006 (185 g) |
| Travis Jankowski | OF | 2025 (14 g) | 2023–2024 (211 g) |
| Matt Duffy | 3B | 2016, 2018–2019 (199 g) | 2024 (4 g) |
| Shawn Armstrong | P | 2021–2024 (131 g) | 2025 (71 g) |
| Jake Diekman | P | 2023 (50 g) | 2015–2018 (150 g) |
| Matt Moore | P | 2011–2016 (96 g) | 2018, 2022 (102 g) |
| Cesar Ramos | P | 2011–2014 (167 g) | 2016 (16 g) |
| Jamey Wright | P | 2013 (66 g) | 2007–2008 (95 g) |
| Jeffrey Springs | P | 2021–2024 (86 g) | 2018–2019 (43 g) |
| Bobby Wilson | C | 2015–2016 (53 g) | 2015–2016 (73 g) |
| Ryan Roberts | 3B | 2012–2013 (120 g) | 2008 (1 g) |
| Kirby Yates | P | 2014–2015 (57 g) | 2024 (61 g) |
| Chris Gimenez | C | 2012–2013 (46 g) | 2014–2015 (70 g) |
| Josh Wilson | SS | 2007 (90 g) | 2014 (24 g) |
| Tommy Hunter | P | 2017 (61 g) | 2008–2011 (53 g) |
| Matt Garza | P | 2008–2010 (95 g) | 2013 (13 g) |
| Jason Conti | OF | 2002 (78 g) | 2004 (22 g) |
| Tanyon Sturtze | P | 2000–2002 (91 g) | 1997 (9 g) |
| Justin Ruggiano | OF | 2007–2008, 2011 (98 g) | 2016 (1 g) |
| Joey Butler | DH | 2015 (88 g) | 2013 (8 g) |
| Kevin Jepsen | P | 2015–2016 (71 g) | 2018 (21 g) |
| J. P. Arencibia | C | 2015 (24 g) | 2014 (63 g) |
| Julio Santana | P | 1998–1999 (54 g) | 1997–1998 (33 g) |
| Nathan Eovaldi | P | 2018 (11 g) | 2023–2025 (76 g) |
| Rob Bell | P | 2003–2005 (51 g) | 2001–2002 (35 g) |
| Hoby Milner | P | 2018–2019 (8 g) | 2025 (73 g) |
| David Robertson | P | 2021 (12 g) | 2024 (68 g) |
| Gregg Zaun | C | 2009 (34 g) | 1999 (43 g) |
| Wilson Alvarez | P | 1998–1999, 2002 (76 g) | 1989 (1 g) |
| Austin Pruitt | P | 2017–2019 (68 g) | 2024 (4 g) |
| Al Levine | P | 2003 (36 g) | 1998 (30 g) |
| Phil Maton | P | 2024 (40 g) | 2025 (23 g) |
| Drew Smyly | P | 2014–2016 (49 g) | 2019 (13 g) |
| Ken Hill | P | 2001 (5 g) | 1996–1997 (54 g) |
| Hunter Wood | P | 2017–2019 (51 g) | 2021 (5 g) |
| Rob Refsnyder | OF | 2018 (40 g) | 2020 (15 g) |
| Brandon Snyder | 1B | 2018 (2 g) | 2012 (40 g) |
| Dan Miceli | P | 2006 (33 g) | 2002 (9 g) |
| Jason Romano | OF | 2004 (4 g) | 2002 (29 g) |
| Corey Kluber | P | 2022 (31 g) | 2020 (1 g) |
| John Rocker | P | 2003 (2 g) | 2002 (30 g) |
| Ernesto Frieri | P | 2015 (22 g) | 2017 (6 g) |
| Nick Bierbrodt | P | 2001, 2003 (24 g) | 2004 (4 g) |
| Ian Gibaut | P | 2019 (1 g) | 2019–2020 (23 g) |
| Wilmer Font | P | 2018–2019 (19 g) | 2012–2013 (5 g) |
| Jason Standridge | P | 2001–2004 (21 g) | 2005 (2 g) |
| Freddy Guzman | OF | 2013 (1 g) | 2006–2007 (17 g) |
| Mickey Callaway | P | 1999, 2001 (8 g) | 2003–2004 (10 g) |
| Mike Judd | P | 2001 (8 g) | 2001 (4 g) |
| Dave Silvestri | 3B | 1998 (8 g) | 1997 (2 g) |
| Jhan Marinez | P | 2016 (3 g) | 2017 (4 g) |
| Chase Anderson | P | 2023 (2 g) | 2024 (2 g) |
From the SABR Lahman Baseball Database (CC BY-SA 3.0), 1876–2025. A season counts when the player played at least one regular-season game for the franchise.Rays seasons include the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1998–2007).Rangers seasons include the Washington Senators (1961–1971).
What next? Play today's MLB Grid
Fill a 3×3 board of team pairs like this one, with nine guesses and a rarity score. New board every day.
More “played for both” lists
Tampa Bay Rays and…
Mets 98Red Sox 88Orioles 87Mariners 87Dodgers 83Marlins 82Brewers 82Padres 82Braves 81Guardians 80
Questions
How many players have played for both the Tampa Bay Rays and the Texas Rangers?
72 in the Lahman Baseball Database from 1998 to 2025, including Hank Blalock, Nelson Cruz, Carlos Peña and Nathaniel Lowe. A player counts when he played at least one regular-season game for each franchise.
Who was the first player on this list to play for both?
Dave Silvestri: Texas Rangers first, then the Tampa Bay Rays from 1998.
Who has played for both recently?
Nathaniel Lowe, Pete Fairbanks, Travis Jankowski, Matt Duffy, Shawn Armstrong and Jeffrey Springs and 7 more, with a season for one of the two in 2024 or 2025.
Does a player count if the team has moved or changed its name?
Yes. Seasons count for today's franchise, the way the Lahman database links every team-season to a franchise. Rays seasons include the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1998–2007). Rangers seasons include the Washington Senators (1961–1971).
Careers from the SABR Lahman Baseball Database (CC BY-SA 3.0). Team logos are trademarks of their respective teams (logos via TheSportsDB). Independent and not affiliated with MLB or any team. Credits

