Right-hander Edinson Volquez will break camp with the Rangers and be part of the 30-man Opening Day roster, manager Chris Woodward told MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan and other reporters. It will be Volquez’s 15th Major League campaign, and his fifth in a Rangers uniform.
Volquez re-signed with Texas on a minor league deal last winter, following an abbreviated season that saw him post a 6.75 ERA over 16 innings. It was Volquez’s first action since July 2017, as Tommy John surgery and then another elbow injury kept the righty on the shelf for over two full seasons’ worth of games. The frustration had Volquez considering retirement last summer, though returning to the mound seemed to reinvigorate him for one more season beyond his final few appearances in September 2019.
Woodward pointed to Volquez’s recent success against left-handed batters (holding them to .670 OPS in 2019) as a reason for keeping him on the roster. “First and foremost, the stuff is there,” Woodward said. “I wasn’t going to keep him unless he showed he can get people out….The fact that he has been pitching a long time. He has pitched in big games. The leadership aspect in the clubhouse is second to none.”
Volquez turned 37 earlier this month, though the longtime starter could find a second act to his career by moving into a full-time relief role for the first time (while being durable enough to offer the Rangers a potential multi-inning or long relief option). Volquez’s good numbers against lefty hitters could make him something of a reverse-splits candidate for a Texas bullpen that is somewhat thin on southpaws, as Brett Martin will miss the start of the season recovering from a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Good decision Rangers.
With us missing three important relievers going into the season (Montero, Martin, J-Rod), I like this move. I bet Ian Gibaut and Cody Allen are the other two (unless we want another long relief arm, which would be either Palumbo or Allard.
Would love to see Kolby Allard get some work in for the Rangers. Still think you guys got a promising player for half a season of Martin
Martin is intriguing to me. He has an elite, (in my eyes), curveball/breaking pitch, but he still needs to execute his other pitches. He didn’t put up good numbers last season, but with that big breaker, and being a lefty, I could totally see him putting up good numbers this season. I really like what Texas pulled off with their lefties this off-season. J-Rod is a high velo guy that uses movement to his advantage, and Martin, though a little slower, has nice breaking stuff to pair with his 3/4 arm slot.
Oh I’m sorry I was talking about chris Martin. I forgot there was another one. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad we have him. His SO/W ratio is unreal. Dude doesn’t walk anybody which is rare for someone that throws hard. I think Allard can be a #4 starter. But yeah, I see a better season in Brett Martin this year. He has the stuff he just needs to put it all together
I would go with Cashner. He did good the year he was here.
I like Edison but I like Tesla even better
What about Greg Bird?? Will he make the Rangers roster?
Good for Eddie. Great competitor who always seemed to be enjoying himself.
I thought he retired? I remember him getting a last appearance send off at the end of 2019. Weird.
star-telegram.com/sports/mlb/texas-rangers/article…
He said if he got the opportunity to play in 2020, he would, and the Rangers saw enough good performance out of him in 19′ to where he was signed to a minor league deal. (Hence staying)
(I’m pretty sure he was signed back on a minor-league deal, but don’t quote me on that)
I will always remember DVD.
The last of DVD⚾️