Edinson

Volquez

Volquez is not eligible to come off the injured list until September 27; the last day of the season. The right-hander delayed his retirement after throwing well in a September stint, so it’s possible this is the end of the 37-year-old’s career. He appeared in seven games for the Rangers before the injury with a 6.35 ERA over 5 2/3 innings pitched.

“I trust all those guys,” Woodward said. “If we do this right, we can get creative. All our guys are on board. They are all excited about it. They are going to pitch in situations they haven’t in the past, and we are going to learn a lot about our guys.” Nick Goody got the save Wednesday, but Woodward indicated that was more about matchups than anything. He also mentioned Edinson Volquez and Jonathan Hernandez when discussing the job. Given that none of these names elicit much excitement anyway, it might be a situation to avoid altogether for the time being.

Volquez, 37, decided not to retire after feeling good in a short stint in September. He’ll be an option for the Rangers in relief for this shortened campaign.

Burke underwent left labrum debridement surgery back in February, and is expected to be on the shelf for at least 12 months. He could compete for a rotation spot in the future, but he won’t be ready to pitch until the middle of the 2021 season at the earliest. The Rangers also released their initial player pool for the truncated 2020 season; with 53-of-60 names now on the roster. Edinson Volquez and Juan Nicasio are currently not included in the pool, but are expected to be included in the coming days.

This news will probably take Volquez out of the running for a September callup.

The Rangers are satisfied with the progress Volquez has made from a strained left oblique muscle that has kept him on the DL for a month. He will have a couple starts in the minors to prove he is worthy of a Sept. 1 call-up.

Volquez announced in July that he was retiring at the end of last season, but since his arm felt good after a stint in the pen in September, he’s opted to give it one more shot. He’ll battle for a spot in middle relief.

Volquez had planned to hang up his cleats after making it back in September from a five-month absence due to a sprained UCL. His numbers (6.75 ERA, 10/12 K/BB ratio over 16 innings) weren’t good, but Volquez’s velocity was fine in the final month and he apparently must have felt better than expected. Volquez figures to make the Rangers’ bullpen next season as long as he’s healthy.

He’ll be followed by Ariel Jurado, who is in line to pitch the bulk of the innings. It will be the second time opening and eighth overall appearance this month for Volquez, who is retiring after the season.

He will be followed by Ariel Jurado, who will handle the bulk of the innings. Volquez is pitching with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament and is planning to retire at the end of the season.