Texas Rangers: Glenn Otto and Jake Odorizzi injury updates

GM Chris Young said on Saturday that Glenn Otto will be shut down from throwing for three weeks. He will also be re-evaluated on Monday. Otto had been nursing a right lat injury for the last week. He was scratched from his scheduled start on March 18th with the soreness.

It was never expected for Otto to be in the starting rotation this year, but the Rangers were going to be looking for him to supply some quality depth at the big-league level. It was unclear if Otto would make the Opening Day roster or not, but this new injury will more than likely keep him sidelined for much of the first two months. Depending on how the doctor's evaluation goes on Monday, he could start out the season on the 60-day IL.

Last year Otto started 27 games for the shorthanded Rangers. Across 135.2 innings pitched, Otto had a 7W - 10L record and struck out 107. He also finished the season with a 1.334 WHIP and 4.64 ERA. While his numbers were not the greatest, he showed improvement in his first shot as a regular starter.

Glenn Otto and Jake Odorizzi to both miss more time than first thought

Along with the Otto news, Young updated the media on the status of Jake Odorizzi who the club acquired via trade from the Atlanta Braves early in the offseason. Odorizzi hasn't been throwing all spring due to what the club is calling 'arm fatigue'. The IL was where he was going to start the season, but now it looks like it could also be the 60 day IL.

Young wasn't clear on where Odorizzi is from a health perspective, but he said that his recovery would be "longer than shorter" which doesn't sound good. What exactly this means, we are not fully sure at this point, but what it does mean is that two of the top candidates to be first man up arms for the rotation are going to be out for an extended period of time.

This isn't anything that is unique to the Rangers. All teams deal with injuries from time to time, especially when it comes to pitchers. The good thing is that there are still people that can step up if needed. Hopefully Otto and Odorizzi will both recover well and be available if needed as the season plays out.