Rangers agree to terms with free agent pitcher who will start on Sunday
Welcome to Texas, Drew Hutchinson. You’re starting for the Rangers on Sunday.
The free agent right-hander agreed to terms with the Rangers on Saturday and will start for the club as they go for the series sweep at 2:05 p.m.
“It’s his day [to start],” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. “All the reports have been really good. He’s been throwing well in Triple-A so we felt like keeping him in turn. And it also gave us an opportunity to give those starters some extra rest also.”
This moves pushes Martin Perez’s start back to Monday, Bartolo Colon’s to Tuesday and Yovani Gallardo’s start to Wednesday.
Hutchinson, 27, will look to make his first major league start since Sept. 10, 2016 with the Pirates. He began the season with the Phillies and also pitched primarily with Triple-A Oklahoma City of the Dodgers organization from mid-June through the end of July.
He was initially signed to a minor league contract with Philadelphia on Feb. 15 and had his contract purchased by the major league club on March 25. Hutchinson was designated for assignment by the Phillies on May 31 and rejected an outright assignment to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on June 4, electing for free agency.
Hutchinson had a 1-1 record and a 4.64 ERA in releif for the Phillies, with his last outing on May 30 at the Dodgers.
The Rangers will make a roster move on Sunday when he formally signs with the team.
A ROUGH FEW WEEKS GOT EVEN TOUGHER FOR DELINO DESHIELDS ON SATURDAY
Rangers outfielder Delino Deshields has been placed on the 7-day MLB concussion list due to post-concussion syndrome, the club announced prior to Saturday’s game against Baltimore.
The move was effective late Friday and pushed Texas to recall outfielder Drew Robinson from Triple-A Round Rock. Deshields is eligible to return Aug. 10.
“Yesterday was the first day he had complaints that he talked about,” Banister said. “When a guy comes in and he is talking about headaches, and he’s recently been in the concussion protocol, that raises a number of red flags.”
Deshields was scratched from Texas’ lineup on Friday due to a headache. These symptoms arose from a game against Boston on July 11 when he left the game in the sixth inning after hitting his head diving for a catch. He was examined by assistant athletic trainer Matt Lucero on the field for several minutes before walking off.
The speedy outfielder, and Golden Glove candidate, was sent down to Round Rock on July 24 for a few days prior to being recalled to by Texas. That move was prompted by a prolonged slump that saw him go 3-for-46 to drop his average to .204.
He has batted .208 with 2 home runs and 21 RBI over 81 games spanning two stints with the Rangers this season (Opening Day-July 23 and July 28-current). The club’s Opening Day centerfielder, he was on the 10-day disabled list from March 31-April 21 with a fractured hamate bone in his left hand.
Deshields leads the American League with 10 bunt hits and 9 sacrifice bunts, also ranking ninth in the league with a team-high 18 stolen bases.
Robinson batted .175 with one home run and 5 RBI in 26 games with the Rangers during his first stint with the club from Opening Day-May 20.
He has spent the bulk of the year at Triple-A Round Rock, batting .308/.374/.556/.929 (61-198) with 8 home runs and 23 RBI in 49 games. Since the start of July, Robinson has batted .331 (40-121) with a .960 OPS figure in 29 games with the Express.
Robinson subbed in at left field in the eighth inning.
VLAD HONORED FOR INDUCTION INTO HALL OF FAME
The Rangers held an on-field pregame ceremony to honor Vladimir Guerrero, who was recently elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Guerrero, who played a key role in Texas’ 2010 World Series appearance, rode onto the field in the back of a pickup truck before being met at the pitcher’s mound by Adrian Beltre, Bartolo Colon, and Pudge Rodriguez. He is the seventh player who wore a Rangers uniform to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
The nine-time All-Star hit .300 with 29 home runs and 115 RBI in his lone season in Arlington, which came about after general manager Jon Daniels and then-manager Ron Washington spearheaded a trip to California for a trip to Guerrero’s home. It was then that Texas’ brass convinced the slugger, who had been unsigned after five seasons with the Angels, to come back.
He ended up coming through with one of the most clutch hits in franchise history in Game 6 of the AL Championship Series against the Yankees. The Rangers were a win away from advancing to the World Series but were tied with New York, 1-1, in the bottom of the fifth.
Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes intentionally walked Josh Hamilton to put runners on first and second with two outs, which brought Guerrero up. He made them pay by lacing a two-run double to put the Rangers ahead for good. Nelson Cruz followed with a two-run bomb to lead Texas to a 6-1 victory.
Guerrero also threw out the first pitch to Rodriguez, which came in a little high and tight on a would-be right-handed hitter.
BARNETTE WORKING HIS WAY BACK
Right-handed relief pitcher Tony Barnette, who was placed on the 60-day disabled list due to a right shoulder strain on July 4, has been cleared and will begin throwing next week. The Rangers are 10-15 in his absence.
This story was originally published August 4, 2018 at 3:17 PM.