Texas Rangers INF Andy Ibáñez and OF Willie Calhoun Join Round Rock Express on Rehab Assignments
Published on September 13, 2021 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Round Rock Express News Release
ROUND ROCK, Texas - A pair of former E-Train stars are back! The Texas Rangers announced on Monday afternoon that INF Andy Ibáñez and OF Willie Calhoun are both joining the Round Rock Express on Major League Rehab Assignments, starting with tonight's 7:05 p.m. contest against the Sugar Land Skeeters (Houston Astros affiliate) at Dell Diamond. Tickets are available via RRExpress.com.
Ibáñez is scheduled to start at second base and bat fifth in the Round Rock lineup while Calhoun is slated to start in left field and bat second. Additionally, fellow rehabbing Rangers INF Brock Holt is set to serve as Round Rock's designated hitter in the leadoff position on Monday night.
Ibáñez has been on the Rangers Injured List since August 30 after suffering a left hamstring strain. In two different stints with Texas this season, the 28-year-old is hitting .260 (52-200) with 11 doubles, a triple, six home runs and 19 RBI across 62 total games. Ibáñez opened the season at the Texas Rangers Alternate Training Site in Round Rock before having his contract selected on May 4. He made his Major League debut that night against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field, entering the game as a pinch hitter and collecting a single in his first career at-bat.
After nine games with the Rangers, Ibáñez was optioned back to the Express on May 21. He appeared in 27 games for the E-Train, posting a red-hot .352 batting average (37-105) to go along with 11 doubles, a triple, six home runs and 25 RBI. Ibáñez tallied base hits in 22 of his 27 games with the Express in 2021, including 10 multi-hit and six multi-RBI games. He was recalled by Texas on June 21 and remained on the club's active roster until suffering the hamstring injury on August 30.
Ibáñez has spent the duration of his five-year professional career within the Texas Rangers organization after being signed by the club as a non-drafted free agent on July 7, 2015. In 485 career games in the minor leagues, the Havana, Cuba native hit .289 (530-1837) with 112 doubles, eight triples, 59 home runs and 240 RBI.
He spent the duration of the 2018 season with the Express, appearing in 125 of the team's 138 games, combining to bat .283 (131-463) with 21 doubles, a triple, 12 home runs and 55 RBI. He led the team in games played, hits and total bases (190) while ranking second in walks (40), home runs, doubles and runs scored (62). His 91 starts at third base currently ranks as the sixth-most in Express Triple-A franchise history.
Calhoun has been sidelined since suffering a fractured left ulna bone after being hit by a pitch on June 26. He was added to the Rangers' 10-day Injured List on June 27 and transferred to the club's 60-day Injured List on August 5. He began his rehab assignment on September 6 with the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League Rangers, hitting .353 (6-17) with two doubles, a home run, five RBI and four runs scored across five games.
Prior to suffering the injury, Calhoun was hitting .254 (52-205) with eight doubles, two triples, five home runs and 19 RBI in 59 games with the Rangers. He also worked 19 walks and scored 23 runs during his fifth consecutive season appearing at the Major League level.
Calhoun suited up for the Express in 137 games from 2017-2018 after being acquired by the Texas Rangers from the Los Angeles Dodgers along with RHP A.J. Alexy and INF Brendon Davis in exchange for RHP Yu Darvish in a trade deadline deal on July 31, 2017. During his time with the E-Train, Calhoun hit .297 (162-545) with 35 doubles, a triple, 17 home runs and 73 RBI. In 487 career games at the minor league level, the Vallejo, California native owns a .289 average (537-1860) to go along with 117 doubles, eight triples, 86 home runs and 308 RBI. Following a breakout 2017 season at the Triple-A level, Calhoun was called up by the Rangers on September 12 and made his MLB debut that night against the Seattle Mariners, singling in his first career at-bat.
The 26-year-old has spent parts of the last five seasons with the Rangers, combining to hit .248 (185-747) with 29 doubles, four triples, 30 home runs and 95 RBI in 219 career games at the MLB level. Calhoun was originally drafted by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2015 June Draft out of Yavapai Junior College in Arizona.
With three rehabbing Rangers in the starting lineup, the Express continue their six-game series against the Skeeters tonight at Dell Diamond. Round Rock RHP Tyson Miller (3-2, 3.14) is scheduled to face Sugar Land RHP Hunter Brown (4-0, 4.32) with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m.
Single game tickets are on sale now. For more information about the Express, visit RRExpress.com or call (512) 255-2255. Subscribe to the E-Train email newsletter and keep up with the Express on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
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