Texas Rangers: Should A.J. Griffin Stay in The Rotation?

Veteran starting pitcher A.J. Griffin made his 2017 debut on Friday night for the Rangers. It didn’t go as planned, and his recent struggles could be a cause for concern.

It wasn’t all bad as the Texas Rangers were able to grab the win against the Oakland Athletics on Friday. Starter A.J. Griffin didn’t make it out of the fourth inning, and forced the bullpen to come in earlier than expected.

Luckily for the Rangers, the bats came alive and put up ten runs, but Griffin did not put the team in good position to win. He lasted just 3.1 innings, allowing four hits, four earned runs, and two home runs.

The biggest concern is the home run rate, Griffin gives up an enormous amount of homers, and it could be what knocks him out of the rotation. Last season Griffin allowed 28 home runs in just 119 innings pitched.

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The 29-year-old has been crushed by injuries, but it could be time to look for another option instead of waiting for him to return to his old self. The command clearly isn’t there consistently has he walked two batters, hit one batter, and gave up two home runs.

The rotation is a weak on depth with both Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross on the disabled list. It has basically forced the Rangers to put Griffin in the rotation, but that time could be coming to an end soon.

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It was just one start, but if this trend continues for Griffin over three or four starts then this could be a big problem. Hey, everyone has a bad outing, but if he doesn’t find his command soon then Griffin could be out of the Arlington rotation fast.