Alexi Ogando was slated for the Rangers’ rotation, but after back-to-back poor outings--including an early exit yesterday that had coaches worried he might be injured--T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports that the right-hander could get bumped to the bullpen.
Ogando has served in a setup role for the Rangers previously with a lot of success, but Sullivan writes that this time he might be used in a long relief role because his spring training performance has been so shaky.
His appearance yesterday was particularly odd because Ogando took the mound in the fourth inning and threw a few warmup pitches, only to have the trainer, pitching coach, and manager Ron Washington come out to the mound. He was removed from the game amid worries that he had a blister, but afterward said that wasn’t the case.
So what was the deal, then? Washington told Sullivan: “We messed up and forgot to tell him he wasn’t supposed to go back out there. Blame it on me.”
Seems like kind of a flimsy explanation given the presence of the trainer on the mound, but either way things aren’t going well for Ogando right now.
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