The Texas Rangers announced yesterday that Drew Smyly will move from the starting rotation to the bullpen.
Drew Smyly was scheduled to start the Texas Rangers‘ game against the Cincinnati Reds, but it was announced that he would be moved to the bullpen instead.
The move isn’t that surprising as Smyly has struggled as of late. Over his last two starts, he is 0-2 with a 17.05 ERA in just 6 1/3 innings pitched.
Drew Smyly, who turned 30 this year, is mired in the worst season of his career. He is 1-5 with a 8.40 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 45 innings pitched.
He is attempting to make a major comeback after missing both the 2017 and 2018 season with elbow problems which ultimately led to Tommy John surgery.
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This is bad news for the Rangers who are 36-31 and 9 games behind the Houston Astros, but they are up two games in the wild-card race.
They were hoping Smyly could return to the rotation and be at least be close to his career averages of 4.08 ERA, 155 strikeouts and 160 innings pitched.
The Texas Rangers at this point are 23rd in the league with a team ERA of 4.84 and will have to rely on Mike Minor, Lance Lynn, Adrian Sampson, and Ariel Jurado to continue to improve in the rotation.
Smyly should be able to help in the bullpen where they have only converted 15 saves in 24 opportunities. The ultimate goal is for him to work his way back to being a contributor in the starting rotation.
I think this could be the best chance for him to improve on his game, short of being sent to the minors. Allow him to work on his pitches in short bursts and try to figure out what has gone wrong to this point in the season.
I really hope this move helps Drew Smyly and he can get back into the rotation where he has thrived before so that he can thrive once again.