By RENALDO DORSETT
Tribune Sports Reporter
rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
IT WAS a definite step in the right direction for Antoan Richardson as he attempts to stake his claim with the Texas Rangers organisation.
Richardson was added to the club’s 40-man roster yesterday as they continued Major League Baseball (MLB) spring training in Surprise, Arizona.
He continues his his attempt to make the 25-man regular season roster when the Rangers continue their spring training schedule today against the Chicago White Sox at 3.05pm local time.
The Rangers signed Richardson in December as one of three to minor league deals with the club and received an invite to spring training. Richardson had a player’s option to exit the deal early, but the signing allows the Rangers to keep him within the organisation.
To make room for Richardson on the 40-man roster, the Rangers have put Martin Perez on the 60-day disabled list.
Richardson, 31, received national acclaim in September when he got the second MLB call-up of his career and enjoyed a successful 13-game stint with the New York Yankees.
Most notably in his Yankees tenure, Richardson scored the game winning run off an RBI single by Derek Jeter in the 20-year veteran’s final at bat at Yankee Stadium. The 6-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles marked a fitting fond farewell for the future Hall of Famer.
Since being called up from triple-A baseball, Richardson enjoyed an historic run with the Yankees. The veteran outfielder has an average of .313, 5-16 with one RBI, two run scores and four stolen bases.
Richardson officially made his Yankee debut on September 3 as a pinch runner in the seventh inning of his team’s 5-4 come from behind win over the Boston Red Sox. It was his first big league appearance in three years.
He made his first major League start on September 12 in a makeup game against the Baltimore Orioles.
Originally drafted by the Orioles in the 27th round of the 2001 amateur draft, Richardson stayed at American Heritage School in Delray Beach, Florida, until he was drafted for the third time, this time by the San Francisco Giants in the 35th round in 2005. He went on to play in the pipelines with both the Giants and the Atlanta Braves until the Braves called him up to the MLB, where he made his debut on September 4, 2011.
Richardson is the sixth Bahamian to play in the major leagues. He joins an elite field comprising Ed Armbrister, Wilfred ‘Suggy’ Culmer, Tony Curry, Wenty Ford and Andre Rodgers.
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