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A former Texas Rangers first baseman is continuing his path to a return to Major League Baseball as a full-time pitcher.
Ronald Guzmán, who broke in with the Rangers in 2018 and last played in the Majors in 2022, is in Baltimore Orioles camp as a minor leaguer.
According to MLB.com, Guzmán is throwing two bullpen sessions per week as he ramps up his arm to pitch. His fastball has been recorded consistently between 94-96 mpg and has topped out at 97 mph.
The Orioles haven’t determined if he will play in any MLB spring training games, but once spring training is done, he’ll remain at the team facility in Sarasota, Fla., to continue training before he reports to a minor league affiliate.
Last year Guzmán joined the San Francisco Giants on a minor-league deal with the goal of him working as both an infielder and pitcher, but that opportunity never materialized. He suffered a pronator strain in his left forearm, his throwing arm, and didn’t play until August when he went on a rehab assignment to the Giants’ Arizona Complex League Giants. He appeared in three games and was then released.
The Rangers signed Guzmán as an international free agent in 2011 and he made his way to the Majors in 2018.
He played a career-high 123 games in that rookie season, batting .235 with 16 home runs and 58 RBI.
He was dogged by injuries in 2019 as he batted .219 with 10 home runs and 36 RBI in 87 games.
In 2021, Guzmán tore the meniscus in his right knee while making his first career start in the outfield and underwent season-ending surgery. The Rangers outrighted him after the season.
Guzmán signed with the New York Yankees late in 2022, where he started his conversion to a pitcher with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate. He pitched in one game, throwing 1/3 inning as he walked two and struck out one. The Yankees briefly called up him up and he went hitless in six at-bats before he was designated for assignment.
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