Jonathan Hernandez has an elbow sprain. Here’s how that affects Texas Rangers bullpen
The first significant injury of Texas Rangers spring training hit late Tuesday morning when general manager Chris Young revealed that hard-throwing reliever Jonathan Hernandez has a low-grade elbow sprain.
The right-hander is expected to miss the first two months of the regular season after feeling discomfort Thursday while throwing live batting practice. An MRI showed the strain to the ulnar collateral ligament.
Young said there is optimism that Hernandez, the Rangers Rookie of the Year in 2020, will avoid Tommy John surgery. He will not throw for four weeks and could resume a throwing program then if a second MRI shows that the ligament has healed.
The injury creates an opening in the bullpen and likely increases the chances that Rule 5 pick Brett de Geus and non-roster invites Matt Bush and Ian Kennedy make the Opening Day roster.
“It’s about opportunity,” Young said. “Jonathan is, obviously, one we were counting on, and this one hurts a little bit. There’s still a chance he pitches this year. We are hopeful and optimistic that he will recover and respond well.”
A few other pitchers are also ailing, but there is no indication they won’t be ready by Opening Day. Left-hander Brett Martin and Joe Palumbo are resting a few days after dealing with back spasms, and will throw bullpen sessions before being placed in games.
Another lefty, Joely Rodriguez, will throw off a mound this week after being slowed by an ankle injury, and could be pitching in games later in camp. The Rangers have not ruled him out for the start of the regular season, as relievers need fewer spring innings than starters to get ready.
Right-hander Demarcus Evans has already been deemed out to open the season because of a lat injury.
“All teams go through this, whether it’s in spring training or at different points in the season,” Young said. “We brought in a lot of non-roster guys knowing that there was going to be competition here. It’s a great opportunity.”
Hernandez was expected to pitch multiple innings late in games, perhaps even in the ninth inning, in a bullpen that has yet to have any roles established. The same is expected of Jose Leclerc.
Bush and Kennedy have experience closing games and could emerge as closer if they make the team, but space is limited even with Hernandez out to start the season.
The Rangers are going to use a five-man rotation, manager Chris Woodward said, but the last two spots could be split by as many as four pitchers. That would leave six slots for relievers.
Martin and Rodriguez, if healthy, would join Leclerc on April 1 at Kansas City. The Rangers don’t want to hold onto de Geus, but he must be on the active roster all season per Rule 5 rules.
If he gets a spot, a large group headed by Bush and Kennedy would be fighting for perhaps as few as two spots. Non-roster right-handers Hunter Wood, Spencer Patton, Jimmy Herget and Drew Anderson would also be in that mix.
This story was originally published March 9, 2021 at 1:07 PM.
