AL West Rival Claims Former Texas Rangers Reliever

It didn’t take long for a suitor to claim former Texas Rangers reliever Brock Burke.

Jun 25, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Texas Rangers relief pitcher Brock Burke (46) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers in the sixth inning at American Family Field. / Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Angels claimed former Texas Rangers reliever Brock Burke off waivers on Tuesday, less than 48 hours after the Rangers designated him for assignment.

That means there is a chance the Rangers could see him when the face the Angels later this season.

The left-hander, once one of the top pitchers on the team and a member of last year’s World Series team, missed 52 games after he punched a wall in the Minute Maid Park clubhouse in Houston after a bad outing.

The injury landed him on the 60-day IL from April 13-June 11 with a fracture in his right hand.

When he returned from the injury, his place in the bullpen wasn’t secure and he spent a significant portion of his post-IL stint with Triple-A Round Rock. There, he had a 5.31 ERA in nine games, with 17 strikeouts and 13 walks.

He finished this season with Texas with a 9.22 ERA in 13 games. Previous to his DFA, he had allowed earned runs in both of his appearances.

Last season Burke was a valuable piece of the bullpen. He went 5-3 with a 4.37 ERA in 53 games, his second straight season with at least 50 appearances. Batters hit .271 against him, but he struck out 52 and walked nine in 59.2 innings. He pitched two games in the postseason.

In 2022 the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America named Burke the Rangers’ Rookie of the Year.  He was 7-5 with a 1.97 ERA in 52 relief appearances, forming a solid 1-2 punch with fellow left-hander Matt Moore. Burke also proved durable, throwing 82.1 innings. Batters hit just .211 against him.

Burke was originally a third-round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2014 and arrived in Texas in 2019 as part of a three-team deal that ultimately landed then-Rangers infielder Jurickson Profar in Oakland.