Rangers 40-Man Roster Wraps: Jose Leclerc

The former closer returned to the Texas Rangers from Tommy John surgery in midseason and ended up with a solid season.

InsidetheRangers.com will review each of the players on the Texas Rangers 40-man roster at the conclusion of the 2022 season.

P José Leclerc

Statistics for 2022: Leclerc went 0-3 with a 2.83 ERA in 39 appearances (all in relief). He had seven saves and four holds. He threw 47 2/3 innings, giving up 33 hits, 17 runs (15 earned), five home runs and 21 walks. He struck out 54. Opponents hit .192 against him and he had a 1.13 WHIP.

Season Transactions: On April 7, the Rangers placed Leclerc on the 60-day injured list as he recovered from right elbow surgery. The Rangers sent him to Double-A Frisco on May 25 for a rehab assignment. On May 31, the Rangers sent him to Triple-A Round Rock to continue that assignment. On June 16, the Rangers called him up.

Season Summary: LeClerc’s return in June was well-timed. The Rangers needed a power right-hander and he ended up with his best season since 2018, when he went 2-3 with 1.56 ERA and 16 saves. The 2-for-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio was solid as was the sub-.200 opponent batting average. By season’s end, though, the Rangers slid him back into the ninth-inning role he had before his Tommy John surgery and he recorded all of his saves after Aug. 14. One thing about his ERA. He had a 15.00 ERA in his first three appearances of the season. After that, his monthly splits in July (2.35), August (2.04) and September (1.54) showed his command and arm were coming around.

Contract Status: Leclerc has a contract for 2023 and 2024 that includes club options each year. In 2023, he is expected to make $6 million.

What’s next: The best news the Rangers could have received is that Leclerc went through the grind of the final three months with no health issues. The way his arm came around late in the season in the closer’s role was promising. But there are other candidates for the job, such as Joe Barlow and Jonathan Hernandez. He goes into spring training as one of those candidates to be the closer in 2023.

2022 Texas Rangers 40-Man Roster Wraps:

Ezequiel Duran | A.J. Alexy | Josh Smith | Tyson Miller | Corey Seager | Joe Barlow | Leody Taveras | Brad Miller | Drew Strotman | Josh Jung | Jon Gray | Taylor Hearn | Mitch Garver | Kevin Plawecki | Mark Mathias | John King | Charlie Culberson | Adolis García | Andy Ibáñez | Cole Ragans | Kole Calhoun | Brett Martin

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