ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Friday that the team has not settled on a next step for Jack Leiter. The right-hander will throw a bullpen session this weekend, and a decision will be made from there, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Leiter made his second minor league rehab start Thursday night with Double-A Frisco, as Dallas Sports Journal wrote.
What Skip Schumaker Said Friday
Leiter called the outing “a grindy type of outing,” and Schumaker came to the same read after watching it. He said Leiter felt okay coming out of the start and that the fastball was there.
“The fastball was there; it was 95 to 100,” Schumaker said. “He said it was a kind of a grindy type of outing for him. And after watching it, I would say the same thing. I think he felt okay coming out of it. I don’t know what the next step is just yet. I want to see what the bullpen kind of looks like in a couple of days and then we’ll figure out where to go.”
No date has been announced for the bullpen session.
The Roster Clock
Texas moved Leiter to the 60-day injured list on Aug. 9, and he has been eligible for activation since Aug. 18. He has not pitched in the majors since June 19.
The Rangers have discussed internally bringing Leiter back as a reliever, which would shorten the rehab, as Dallas Sports Journal wrote Wednesday. The rotation is the thinner spot. Nathan Eovaldi went on the 15-day injured list Aug. 10, retroactive to Aug. 9, with right posterior elbow inflammation, and is eligible to come off it Aug. 25.
A third rehab start remains available to Texas. Leiter has thrown 48 pitches and 59 pitches in his two outings, short of the roughly 75 that clubs typically want from a starter before activation.
Where The Texas Rangers Stand
Texas is 63-65. The Rangers are second in the American League West, 1 game behind the Houston Astros.
They open a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday at Globe Life Field, with first pitch at 7:15 p.m. CT on Rangers Sports Network.
