Will Bartolo Colon stay on Rangers' roster? Jon Daniels has an idea
The visiting dugout at Oakland Coliseum puts the visiting manager further away from the pitchers mound than at any other MLB ballpark, but it's not like manager Jeff Banister needed a telescope Monday night as he watched Bartolo Colon.
Banister was plenty close to see the best performance by a Texas Rangers starting pitcher in their first five games. Though in Texas, general manager Jon Daniels, via the miracle of TV, saw enough of Colon, too.
However, the difference in time zones and the crowded plate each had Tuesday didn't allow them to discuss at length the next move for Colon, who allowed one run in six innings in his Rangers debut.
That discussion will take place Wednesday, when it is likely that the Rangers will decide to keep Colon, 44, on their roster.
It's not necessarily what the right-hander did against the Oakland A's, who scored two in the seventh en route to a 3-1 win. That's part of it, of course, but the Rangers need to keep him.
"I'm leaning that way to hold our depth, and, hey, he pitched well," Daniels said. "I don't want to overlook that part. This early in the season, I'm more of the mind-set to add to our depth rather than to take it away. Injuries and circumstances happen, and they happen quick during the year."
If depth is primary motivation behind keeping Colon, perhaps he was safe no matter what happened Monday. The only pitcher at Triple A Round Rock who has a spot on the 40-man roster is Yohander Mendez. Righty Austin Bibens-Dirkx would need a 40-man spot if called upon.
The Rangers will need a spot on the 25-man roster Thursday so that lefty Martin Perez (broken right elbow) can come off the 10-day disabled list and make his 2018 debut.
To create that spot with Colon would require the Rangers designating him for assignment and then risk losing him to a waiver claim. If he cleared waivers, he would have to consent to go to Round Rock, which would not be a given. If taken off the 40-man roster, he would not receive is full major-league salary ($1.75 million).
That scenario is on hold for now, but might not be for long. The Rangers could need another roster spot as early as Sunday for reliever Tony Barnette, who will pitch Thursday at Double A Frisco.
They have multiple relievers — including Jose Leclerc and Matt Bush — with minor-league options who can be sent to Round Rock to make room for Perez.
"We definitely have that flexibility if we choose to do it," Daniels said.
Daniels is hopeful that all Rangers pitchers were watching Colon has he weaved through the A's lineup on 89 pitches. Sixty-two of them were strikes, and the only walk he issues was as he pitched around the lefty-hitting Matt Joyce for a right-on-right matchup with Stephen Piscotty.
Colon struck him out on three pitches.
"He's a guy who moves the fastball around and gets outs," Banister said. "He's pretty much a master at knowing how to get outs. He never really was in any panic situation for him. He's a supreme veteran who knows how to pitch."
Colon's teammates were watching. Perez said that he would be glued to every pitch. Doug Fister, the only Rangers pitcher to win a game entering Tuesday, said that he admires how many fastballs Colon throws and still has success.
The Rangers also see value in the experience Colon has and can share with younger pitchers. He has had a favorable impact on Perez, who was advised by Colon to trust his stuff and simplify things on the mound.
"It is special for me to have him as a teammate," Perez said. "It is something we have to take advantage of. As much as I can learn from him to make me a better pitcher and a better person, we need to do it."
It appears Perez will get that chance.
"There's real value in protecting our depth since we're not as deep as we'd like to be," Daniels said.
Late Monday
Athletics 3, Rangers 1
Texas | 000 | 010 | 000 | — | 1 | 7 | 0 |
Oakland | 001 | 000 | 20 | — | 3 | 9 | 1 |
Texas<QM> | AB | R | H | BI | BB | SO | Avg. |
Choo rf | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .400 |
Gallo 1b | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .250 |
Andrus ss | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .444 |
Beltre 3b | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .222 |
Mazara dh | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .222 |
Chirinos c | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 |
Odor 2b | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .063 |
Rua lf | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .083 |
Profar ph | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
Robinson cf | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .222 |
Totals<QM> | 35 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 11 |
Oakland<QM> | AB | R | H | BI | BB | SO | Avg. |
Semien ss | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .300 |
Lowrie 2b | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .238 |
Olson 1b | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .235 |
Davis lf | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .278 |
Smolinski lf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Joyce dh | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .235 |
Piscotty rf | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .211 |
Chapman 3b | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .333 |
Lucroy c | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .267 |
Powell cf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .118 |
Totals<QM> | 31 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
E—Piscotty (1). LOB—Texas 11, Oakland 7. 2B—Lowrie (1), Lucroy (1). HR—Chapman (2), off Colon. RBIs—Gallo (3), Lowrie 2 (2), Chapman (5). SB—Rua (1), Robinson (1). Runners left in scoring position—Texas 9 (Andrus 3, Beltre 2, Mazara, Odor, Rua, Robinson); Oakland 3 (Lowrie, Davis, Piscotty). RISP—Texas 1 for 15; Oakland 2 for 9. Runners moved up—Gallo, Andrus 2, Choo, Powell. GIDP—Piscotty. DP—Texas 1 (Beltre, Odor, Gallo).
Texas | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | NP | ERA |
Colon | 6 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 89 | 1.50 |
Jepsen, L, 0-1 | <AF>2/3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 5.40 |
Diekman | <AF>1/3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 13.50 |
Bush | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3.00 |
Oakland | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | NP | ERA |
Triggs | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 88 | 1.80 |
Buchter | 1<AF>2/3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 36 | 0.00 |
Hatcher, W, 2-0 | <AF>2/3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 7.71 |
Treinen, S, 1-1 | 1<AF>2/3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 0.00 |
Inherited runners-scored—Diekman 2-2, Hatcher 2-0, Treinen 1-0. WP—Buchter, Treinen. Umpires—Home, D.J. Reyburn; First, Sam Holbrook; Second, Ryan Blakney; Third, Jim Wolf. T—3:10. A—7,416 (46,765).
This story was originally published April 3, 2018 at 8:11 PM with the headline "Will Bartolo Colon stay on Rangers' roster? Jon Daniels has an idea."