Rangers Bring Back RHP Nabil Crismatt on Minor League Deal

Last night the Texas Rangers reached a minor league agreement with right-hander Nabil Crismatt, according to Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extrabase. The contract includes an invitation to the team’s major league Spring Training.

The move comes shortly after Crismatt turned 31 on Dec. 25 — so in a way you could say it was late Crismatt present.

This is his second stint with the Texas Rangers; he pitched for Triple-A Round Rock during the 2024 season but was released before reaching the majors.

During that short stint with Round Rock he pitched eleven innings and had a 7.36 ERA with four walks and ten strikeouts.

Crismatt has spent parts of six seasons in the big leagues, pitching for four different organizations (Cardinals, Padres, Diamondbacks and the Dodgers).

While Crismatt has primarily worked as a reliever in the majors, he showed his flexibility in 2025 by making five starts for Arizona late in the season. He has spent much of his career as a bouncing between the bullpen and the starting rotation during his time in the minors.

Of his 122 career major league appearances, only six have been starts.

The following is a season-by-season look at his performance at the major league level:

2020 (St. Louis Cardinals)

Crismatt made his debut with the Cardinals in his age 25 season. He posted a 0-0 record and a 3.24 ERA. He threw 8.1 innings, striking out eight batters and walking one, with a 0.840 WHIP and a 4.75 FIP.

2021 (San Diego Padres)

In his first full year in San Diego, the right-hander went 3-1 with a 3.76 ERA across 81.1 innings. He recorded 71 strikeouts and 24 walks, finishing the season with a 1.365 WHIP and a 4.20 FIP.

2022 (San Diego Padres)

Crismatt’s most effective season saw him go 5-2 with a 2.94 ERA in 67.1 innings. He struck out 65 hitters, walked 22, and maintained a 1.173 WHIP and a 3.22 FIP.

2023 (San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks)

This was a split season for the righty. With the Padres, he went 0-1 with a 9.82 ERA in 11.0 innings (9 strikeouts, 7 walks, 2.182 WHIP, 7.35 FIP).

After moving to the Diamondbacks, he threw 2.0 scoreless innings, going 0-1 with 3 strikeouts, no walks, a 1.000 WHIP, and a 0.26 FIP.

2024 (Los Angeles Dodgers)

During a brief stint in Los Angeles (1 appearance in March, two in April and two in May), Crismatt went 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA. Over 7.0 innings of work, he notched six strikeouts and zero walks, ending with a 1.000 WHIP and a 3.31 FIP.

2025 (Arizona Diamondbacks)

In his most recent major league action, Crismatt went 3-0 with a 3.71 ERA in 34.0 innings. He recorded 25 strikeouts and nine walks, posting a 1.441 WHIP and a 4.84 FIP.

The Arsenal and Role

​Crismatt features a deep arsenal that includes six pitches according to TJstats.ca. Here is how he mixed them in 2025:

• ​Changeup: 38% (203 times)
• ​Sinker: 24% (128 times)
• ​4-Seam: 15.9% (85 times)
• ​Curveball: 15.5% (83 times)
• ​Slider: 5.6% (30 times)
• ​Cutter: 0.9% (5 times)

Crismatt provides the long reliever, spot starter profile. Last year, with the Diamondbacks he had a eight outings (5 starts, 3 reliefs) where he pitched 31 innings of 2.61-ERA ball, before being chased by a 3-inning, 7-run (5 ER) middle relief appearance versus the Dodgers during his last day of the season. That outing ballooned his ERA by over a run.

Texas will be looking for the version of Crismatt that excelled in the San Diego bullpen from 2021-22 and in his limited Dodgers run. In those two seasons with the Padres, he logged 148 2/3 innings with a 3.39 ERA, a 21.6% strikeout rate, and a 7.3% walk rate.

At the moment the Texas Rangers projected bullpen consists of:

Carter Baumler Luis Curvelo Dom Hamel Tyler Alexander Alexis Diaz Cole Winn Chris Martin Robert Garcia

Crismatt will compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster.