The Rangers reinstated left-hander Yohander Mendez on Wednesday and added him to their 60-man player pool, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com writes. The move leaves the Rangers with two open spots on their Summer Camp roster.
Mendez had been on the club’s suspended list since March for seeking unauthorized medical care as a result of shoulder inflammation. His team-imposed ban was the most recent disappointment in a career that hasn’t gone according to plan thus far. When he debuted in the majors in 2016, multiple outlets considered Mendez a top 50 prospect. The 25-year-old hasn’t seen much action in the bigs since then, though, and the results haven’t been pretty when he has pitched. Mendez owns a 6.23 ERA with a matching 6.23 K/9 against 4.72 BB/9 across 47 2/3 innings in a Rangers uniform. Home runs have been a problem for Mendez, whose difficulty keeping the ball out of the air (35.5 percent groundball rate) has led to 1.7 HRs per nine.
To his credit, Mendez has been much better at the Triple-A level, where he has logged 97 innings of 3.71 ERA ball with 8.1 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9. But with no minor league season in 2020, MLB is Mendez’s only hope of pitching competitively this year.
He has done stupid things in the past (though that comes with youth), I’d hope he redeems himself, but right now I’m not sure. I, personally, am on the “not so happy” side with him, but he just needs another shot. I hope he takes advantage of the opportunities given to him, and maybe makes the taxi squad.
Rangers official PR announcement was he is reinstated on 60, but should clarify he is also reinstated back on the 40. With Brett Martin out for COVID-19 and Joely Rodriguez injured, makes sense Texas would want another lefty in the pen.