Rangers left-hander Joe Palumbo will need to learn to regulate stomach ailment
Texas Rangers left-hander Joe Palumbo is on the injured list with what is believed to be ulcerative colitis, manager Chris Woodward said.
“He has some stomach issues … it is a pretty major flareup going on right now. He is not in a good spot,” Woodward said before the Rangers hosted the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night at Globe Life Field.
The club isn’t sure whether Palumbo’s stomach is reacting adversely to something in his diet.
“He does not feel great. We are trying to figure out what it is,” Woodward said. “He’s just not in a good place. He doesn’t feel great. We are just trying to get it regulated and calmed down so when he comes off the IL, he’ll be ready to pitch for us. Because right now it would be really tough to go out there.”
Palumbo was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Aug. 4 on Friday. Right-hander Rafael Montero took his spot in the bullpen. Palumbo, who in July made the Opening Day roster this season for the first time, has allowed three earned runs on three hits in 2 1/3 innings of relief in 2020. He’s eligible to return Aug. 14.
Woodward said Palumbo, who is rated the Rangers’ No. 9 top prospect by MLB Pipeline, has seen his progress slowed because of unlikely injuries.
“It has backed him up, and I feel bad for him because they are not typical issues,” he said. “Weird kind of circumstances. Hopefully it won’t continue that trend. We believe these are anomalies, if we can get away from them, they are in the past.”
Palumbo’s latest stomach issue, however, is something Palumbo will have to learn to manage, Woodward said.
“It’s not going to go away. He has to find a way to regulate it and keep it away,” he said. “It has pushed his development back a little, but he has a high ceiling. We feel he can be something pretty special for us. Hopefully he can get this behind him.”
This story was originally published August 8, 2020 at 7:26 PM.
