Andruw Jones participant of 2009 Major League Baseball season
Texas Rangers (2009)
On February 8, 2009, Jones signed a one-year minor league contract with the Texas Rangers; the deal paid him $500,000 for making the major league team, and offered $1 million in incentives. Jones reportedly turned down a similar offer from the New York Yankees to compete for their center field job and expressed an interest in staying with the Rangers even though he would likely not be a starter. He earned the Rangers' final roster spot.He was originally intended to be a pinch-hitter for the Rangers, but found a starting outfield role due to an injury to Josh Hamilton. Jones would go 3-for-5 in his Rangers debut with an RBI and two runs scored. By the end of April, Jones was batting .344 with three home runs and six runs batted in.Jones was also faced with an opportunity to play against his old club, the Dodgers. Jones played two games against them on June 13 and 14, homering in each game. On July 4, Jones went 2 for 5 with a home run and 4 runs batted in against the Rays. On July 8, in a game against the Angels, Jones hit three home runs and drove in four runs in an 8–1 win. It was his second career three-homer game. Jones had a chance to hit his fourth home run of the game in his final two at-bats, but he popped out and struck out. "I was thinking about it. I tried. I just didn’t get it done," Jones said. "I’m just happy we won." Jones ultimately hit only .214 for the season, but did have 17 home runs in 82 games.