ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers called up designated hitter Jason Botts from Triple-A Oklahoma on Tuesday and sent down infielder Drew Meyer.
Botts replaced struggling cleanup hitter Phil Nevin in the lineup for the Rangers' game against the Los Angeles Angels. Botts, the designated hitter, was in the eighth spot.
Nevin went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Monday's 3-2 victory against the Angels, and he entered Tuesday hitting .145 in May with 16 strikeouts in 17 games.
Botts was hitting .318 with team highs of 10 home runs and 32 RBIss in Oklahoma.
Nevin was replaced in the No. 4 spot Tuesday by Hank Blalock, who is hitting .327 with eight homers and a team-leading 35 RBIss.
Botts hit .296 in limited time with the Rangers last season. To make room for him, the Rangers sent down Meyer, a former first-round pick who hit .214 in five games. Meyer was hitting .360 at Oklahoma when he was brought up on April 18.