Donovan Solano latest ex-Mariners player to join AL West rival

At this point, it feels like the Texas Rangers are collecting former Seattle Mariners players.

For the third time in just over two months, a player recently released by the Mariners has signed a minor league contract with the injury-ravaged Rangers. The latest was announced Tuesday with veteran infielder Donovan Solano signing with Texas.

ESPN’s Passan gives Seattle Mariners a good chance of overtaking Astros

The 37-year-old Solano was released by the Mariners on Sept. 1 after appearing in 69 games for the team this season. He slashed .252/.295/.344 for a .639 OPS with three home runs, 21 RBIs, 10 runs scored and eight walks to 38 strikeouts. His contributions added up to an even 0.0 fWAR.

Solano appeared in 66 games at first base and two at third base for Seattle. But after serving mainly as the right-handed half of a platoon at first, he saw his playing time diminish considerably after the Mariners made a trade with Arizona for Josh Naylor in late July. Solano played in just five games in August.

The Mariners signed Solano to a one-year contract worth up to $3.5 million in January.

The Rangers previously added first baseman Rowdy Tellez in July and utility man Dylan Moore in August on minor league contracts after the M’s cut them loose. Neither spent much time in the minors, though.

Tellez has been up with the Rangers since July 18, while Moore joined Texas’ MLB roster only nine days after last appearing in a game for the M’s.

It hasn’t been a one-way street from Seattle to Texas this year, however. The Mariners added former top Rangers prospect Leody Taveras on waivers in May. He played 28 games for the M’s and has been with their Triple-A affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers, since mid-June.

The Rangers currently have 11 players on the injured list, many of which are big names. That includes star infielders Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, outfielders Evan Carter and Adolis García, starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, and reliever Danny Coulombe, who was one of their key trade deadline additions.

The injury woes haven’t stopped Texas from putting pressure on the Mariners in the playoff race, though. The Rangers entered Tuesday on a 12-4 hot streak, and at 75-70 on the season are just 1 1/2 games back of Seattle (76-68) for the final American League wild card spot.

More: Fill-ins keeping Texas Rangers in postseason contention

Seattle Mariners news and analysis

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• Mariners’ Leo Rivas making strong case for more playing time
• Pair of Mariners pitchers progressing toward returns from injury
• Mariners’ Ryan Bliss suffers season-ending injury on rehab assignment
• ESPN ranks Seattle Mariners’ core group second only to Dodgers in MLB

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