The Rangers activated outfielder Ryan Rua from the disabled list on Friday and designated outfielder Jake Smolinski for assignment to make room for him on the roster.
Rua played in only five April games before hitting the disabled list with a sprained right ankle and a broken bone in his heel. He had been in the mix for a job as a starting outfielder with the Rangers but hit .235/.278/.294 in 18 plate appearances prior to his injury.
Smolinski hit poorly in sporadic playing time spanning 74 plate appearances and 35 games, posting a .133/.270/.200 triple-slash line with one home run and six RBI.