'No Perfect Scenario’: How Can Rangers Replace Hernández?

After being dealt a huge blow, the Texas Rangers will have to figure out a way to replace a key spot in their bullpen.

Chris Halicke | Mar 9, 2021

The Texas Rangers were pummeled for the second day in a row, losing 9-2 to the Cleveland Indians at Surprise Stadium. Joey Gallo hit his fifth homer in six games played this spring, Nick Solak went deep, and Matt Bush looked good as he begins his attempted comeback to the big leagues.

In the bigger picture, the news of the day revolved around the four-week shutdown of Jonathan Hernández after suffering a low-grade UCL sprain in his throwing elbow. The Rangers' bullpen was considered to be one of the strengths of the team, with Hernández as a central figure.

"There's no perfect scenario to this," Chris Woodward said following Tuesday's loss. "Losing Jonathan hurts. There's no other way to put it."

Best case scenario: Hernández is shut down four weeks, begins a throwing program, comes back end-of-May/early-June, and everything is hunky dory.

Worst case scenario: Rest does not heal the UCL sprain and Hernández has to undergo Tommy John surgery, which would set his earliest return to be sometime next summer.

In the meantime, the Rangers have to figure out who can get outs in relief this season. While the Rangers might have solid depth regarding its long relief, the list of trustworthy candidates of who can get the final six outs of ball games is shrinking.

For the sake of the argument, let's just say Hernández is out at least two months. Joely Rodríguez is working his way back after a sprained ankle set him back before camp began, so he will likely miss the start of the season. Brett Martin is dealing with lower-back tightness, which hopefully won't derail his ability to be ready for Opening Day.

José Leclerc is healthy, but has some trust to win back. He was lights out in 2018, but could not find the same rhythm the following season, and missed almost all of last season with a muscle tear in his shoulder.

After that, there's a list of Josh Sborz, Brett de Geus, Hunter Wood, Nick Vincent, Sam Gaviglio, Jimmy Herget and many others that are all trying to prove themselves in one way or another.

I've said all of that to really say: It's a good thing that Matt Bush looked good on Tuesday.

"He was pretty excited," Woodward said. "It's been a couple years since he's been in a game like that. He felt great coming out of it. He felt like he wasn't overthrowing. He said he felt like a pitcher today. He threw the ball well. He threw strikes. It's really positive for us."

Bush joins Ian Kennedy as non-roster invitees who are 1) trying to earn a spot in the Rangers bullpen, and 2) attempting to successfully return from injuries. Thankfully for the Rangers, both hurlers have experiences pitching high-leverage innings late in games. Bush was a crucial figure in the back end of the Rangers' bullpen in 2016. Meanwhile, Kennedy had a successful transition to the bullpen in 2019, racking up 30 saves for the Kansas City Royals.

"He's in a good spot," Woodward said of Kennedy. "He feels healthy. His arm feels good. ... He signed here to compete. With Jonathan down, it does open up more innings in the back end."

With a single blow, the Rangers will have to rethink the way the bullpen is handled. Hernández was viewed as a guy who could pitch the eighth inning, the ninth inning, or even both. Instead of scratching and clawing to squeeze innings out of guys, the Rangers are looking to challenge their players.

"Someone else is going to have to step up in his place," Woodward said. "If that's not a multi-inning guy like he was going to throw, then we're gonna have to get that inning somewhere else. We'll have to figure out a way to do it."

Promo photo: Kelly Gavin / Courtesy of the Texas Rangers

Chris Halicke covers the Texas Rangers for InsideTheRangers.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisHalicke.
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Published Mar 9, 2021

CHRIS HALICKE