Texas Rangers: Jason Grilli Must Be Leader in The Bullpen

The injury bug won’t leave the Rangers pitchers alone and has now taken out relief pitcher Keone Kela. This now means that newly acquired Jason Grilli must step up and be a leader in the bullpen.

On Monday the Texas Rangers placed reliever Keone Kela on the 10-day disabled list with right shoulder soreness. According to Chad Thornburg the team also activated starter Martin Perez, added Jason Grilli to the roster and sent down reliever Dario Alvarez.

The Rangers were unable to grab the win despite a late inning comeback Monday. The good news is that Grilli pitched well during his debut. He threw one scoreless inning and struck out two batters.

The 15-year MLB veteran Grilli will be looked upon to lead this Rangers bullpen. The Blue Jays designated the 40-year-old reliever for assignment after a struggled to find consistency in Toronto. Grilli went 2-4 with a 6.97 ERA in 26 appearances before being waived by the team.

More from Nolan Writin'

The loss of Kela is going to hurt the Rangers, but hopefully Grilli can soften the blow. Kela was 4-1 with a 2.64 ERA in 30 appearances before he hit the disabled list. It’s likely that Grilli will now take over his role, and could even be looked upon to close out games.

The Rangers are going bullpen by committee, but will likely task Grilli with many late inning opportunities. This season Grilli has just one save, but has 79 careers saves over his 15-year career.

He’s struggled this season, but has a 4.17 career ERA. The Rangers desperately need someone to hold a lead late. Grilli has been solid throughout his career and will now need to be a leader in the bullpen.

Home / Texas Rangers News

The injury bug won’t leave the Rangers pitchers alone and has now taken out relief pitcher Keone Kela. This now means that newly acquired Jason Grilli must step up and be a leader in the bullpen.

More from Nolan Writin'

Schedule