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Rangers release former Yankees, Padres .578 OPS speedster, close friend of Aaron Judge originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Texas Rangers released one of Aaron Judge's closest friends on Monday.

The duo formed a bond while they graduated throughout the minor leagues in the New York Yankees system.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported yesterday that the Rangers granted the release of infielder Tyler Wade. He signed a minor league pact with the AL West club during the offseason and spent the previous two seasons with the San Diego Padres.

Wade is not known as much of a hitter, but he can provide speed and above-average defense in both the infield and outfield. He owns an underwhelming .578 OPS with just seven home runs in 992 trips to the plate.

In 2022, before Judge's free agency, Wade attempted to recruit his former teammate to the Los Angeles Angels, the club the Yankees had traded him to.

More: Red Sox never close on Astros’ Isaac Paredes trade

"You never know, I might have planted a couple seeds," Wade told the New York Post before a game at Yankee Stadium in 2022. “But you never know. He’s having a great year, I’m happy for him. He deserves everything that’s coming to him. What he does on the field and off the field, it’s special and you can’t replicate that.”

Obviously, Judge stayed put. Wade's recruitment process did not work.

Now, Wade will attempt to find a new position with a club searching for speed off the bench. That's likely his best route back to the Majors.

Rangers release former Yankees, Padres .578 OPS speedster, close friend of Aaron Judge

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