Rangers avoid arbitration with Chirinos, reliever Scheppers

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) The Rangers avoided salary arbitration with Robinson Chirinos and Tanner Scheppers on Friday, agreeing to one-year contracts with their top catcher and a reliever.

Chirinos, who will get $1.55 million, was limited by a left shoulder strain over the final two months of his second full season with Texas. But he started three of five games in an AL Division Series loss to Toronto after getting a team-high 73 starts in the regular season.

The 31-year-old Chirinos hit .232 with 10 home runs and 34 RBIs in 78 games. He has a career average of .232 with 24 homers and 84 RBIs in 204 games.

Scheppers will make $900,000 after the 29-year-old right-hander went 4-1 with a 5.63 ERA in 42 relief appearances in 2015.

A year earlier, Scheppers was converted to a starter in spring training and gave up seven runs in four innings of a 14-10 loss to Philadelphia in the opener. Scheppers made three more starts before going on the disabled list with right elbow inflammation. He was shut down for the season after four relief outings in June.

Scheppers battled right ankle and left knee injuries last season. His best year came as a reliever in 2013, when he was 6-2 with a 1.88 ERA in 76 appearances.

The Rangers now have three players eligible for arbitration, including first baseman Mitch Moreland and right-hander Shawn Tolleson, their closer most of last season. The other is left-handed reliever Jake Diekman.