Texas Rangers: Is Keone Kela Proving He Learned His Lesson?

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Keone Kela began the season in the minors. His name not being part of the Opening Roster was a very surprising move. The reason of his demotion was due to his attitude. Since his recall on April 17, Kela is doing well and is avoiding trouble.

According to Evan Grant, Kela was displaying some inappropriate behavior. His behavior upset several veterans, which then led to some heated conversations. It’s possible Kela’s frustration with his performance and letting his anger and frustrations get the best of him is the cause of his negative attitude. The Texas Rangers organization had to do something, so they demoted Kela.

A little over two weeks ago, Kela was recalled to the main roster. Since then he’s been doing very good. So far he’s pitched a total of 6.1 innings, allowing just two hits, no runs, and striking out six batters. He’s doing a good job of playing well and staying out of trouble. Perhaps, we can say he learned his lesson and he’s decided to keep his mind on his work.

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Kela starting in AAA was just a way for him to pull himself together and put his frustrations behind him. He’s very lucky to return to the majors that quick. As we know, players who’s demotion is due to behavior problems usually have to wait a while to get a chance to play at the major-league level again. Kela is taking things seriously and there’s been no reports of any problems with him since his return. No doubt, manager Jeff Banister and general manager Jon Daniels are happy to have him again. In any case, he needs to keep it up.

Kela is also closing games from time to time, which he’s doing a good job at. It’s very possible he and fellow reliever Matt Bush are competing for the official closing job. It’s unlikely Sam Dyson returns to that role. Kela is showing a lot of heart. No doubt, he’s picking up where he left off last season.

Next: Texas Rangers: Will Carlos Gomez’s Cycle Spark His Bat?

Later today, Texas plays their final game of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Tomorrow, Texas heads down to Houston for a four-game series against the Houston Astros, who are in first place in the American League West. If Texas can win today and win their series against Houston, it’ll be a quick turnaround to what’s been a rough season so far.