Cool-headed Rodriguez leaves favorable impression on Rangers

Keone Kela remains shut down from throwing after another bout with shoulder soreness resurfaced last week, and fellow right-hander Tony Barnette has assumed the spot vacated with Kela on the disabled list.

Barnette doesn’t offer the same power stuff as Kela, but he has been in more tight spots in his career and has a mix of pitches to help him wiggle out of trouble.

“One a guy goes one time, two times, a third time, let’s make sure he feels comfortable with it before we get him out there on a throwing program,” Banister said of Kela, who went on the DL in early July. “Barnette has moved into that spot and really been efficient in that role.”

Then there’s Ricky Rodriguez, the rookie who dazzled Monday in his MLB debut with two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 seventh inning. Despite the outing, Rodriguez is likely to keep pitching when opportunities present themselves.

Banister was still impressed with the outing and how Rodriguez was able to slow his heartbeat and not be overtaken by the excitement that comes with a big-league debut.

“Other than one more strikeout, I don’t know how you top that,” Banister said. “The most impressive part was just how calm he was, from the run to the bullpen to the mound and then off the mound. I’ve seen young guys like that sprint off the mound.”

Rodriguez, 24, missed almost all of the 2015 season and all of 2016 because of an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. The right-hander opened the season at High A Down East, where he posted a 1.41 ERA, before moving to Double A Frisco, where he pitched to a 1.20 ERA.

“I tried to attack the zone and tried to get people out,” Rodriguez said. “Everybody was saying, ‘Congratulations. Congrats, you’re in the big leagues.’ I dropped every nerve in there.”

This story was originally published August 15, 2017 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Cool-headed Rodriguez leaves favorable impression on Rangers."