BREAKING: José Leclerc to Undergo Tommy John Surgery

Texas Rangers star reliever José Leclerc will undergo Tommy John surgery this week.

Kade Kistner | Mar 29, 2021

Texas Rangers late-inning reliever and former closer José Leclerc will undergo Tommy John surgery on Tuesday according to general manager Chris Young. Leclerc was a likely candidate to start the season on the 60-day IL when it was revealed last week he had suffered an elbow injury. In today's press conference, the worst case scenario was confirmed as Leclerc is set to miss the entirety of the 2021 season.

This news comes on the heels that Johnathan Hernández, who was slotted in as the 2021 closer, will being undergoing an MRI next week on his elbow according to Young. At the beginning of March, Hernández went down with a UCL "sprain" and one can only hold out hope that he won't suffer the same fate as Leclerc. Once thought to be a strength heading into the season, the Rangers bullpen has seen quite the shakeup due to numerous injuries.

Not only will Leclerc and Hernández miss significant time, but the likes of Demarcus Evans, Joe Palumbo and Brett Martin will also miss Opening Day.

With the injuries to the penciled in closer and set-up man, Texas will have to turn towards veterans Matt Bush and Ian Kennedy for late innings and high leverage situations. Both players have had solid springs and both will be looking to have a bounce back season.

Additionally, it will give younger players such as Brett de Geus, Kyle Cody and Josh Sborz the opportunity to pitch at the Major League level and will allow the team to get a good look at the potential future.

Published Mar 29, 2021

KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies, Cubs and Astros. He is also an editor for Inside the Rangers. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.