Rays trade Nate Lowe to Rangers in 6-player deal

The Tampa Bay Rays traded first baseman Nate Lowe to the Texas Rangers for three minor-league players, the teams announced Thursday.

Texas also receives minor-league first baseman Jake Guenther and a player to be named later.

The Rays, meanwhile, acquired catcher Heriberto Hernandez, infielder Osleivis Basabe, and outfielder Alexander Ovalles. Hernandez (20th) and Basabe (24th) were among the Rangers' top prospects on MLB Pipeline.

Lowe, 25, has appeared in 71 big-league games over two seasons. He's authored a .251/.322/.447 slash line with 11 home runs and 30 RBIs across 245 plate appearances.

He should compete with Ronald Guzman for a starting spot with the Rangers.

Guenther, 23, was the Rays' seventh-round draft choice in 2019. The Wisconsin native hit .320/.431/.423 for the Appalachian League's Princeton Rays in 2019.

The 20-year-old Hernandez is primarily a catcher but also played first base and outfield in Texas' system. He hit .320/.450/.635 with 23 homers and 98 RBIs across two seasons but has never appeared above Single-A.

Basabe, 20, is a Venezuelan infielder who's carried a .334 batting average and .386 on-base percentage in the lower levels of the minors.

The 20-year-old Ovalles hit just .187 in 24 games for Spokane in 2019 but recovered to produce a .377/.437/.623 slash line in 25 games for the Arizona League Rangers later that year.