ARLINGTON – While the Rangers bullpen continues to over-perform to start the year, the club continues to deal with injuries to a number of relievers. A brief update on them:
Right-hander Carter Baumler has made a pair of rehab appearances for Triple-A Round Rock since being placed on the IL with a strained intercostal muscle on April 5, but the club wants to see him complete a couple of usage hurdles that would suggest he could fit in as a full-fledged member of the bullpen with out limits. They would like to see him pitch on back to back days with success and see him have success in multi-inning outings. He pitched more than an inning twice in his four outings in the majors, but allowed five walks, three hits and a pair of runs over 3 ⅔ innings in those outings. He could stay on rehab as long as May 22 before the Rangers must make a decision about activating him or potentially offering him back to the Baltimore Orioles, from which he was a Rule 5 draft pick.
Right-hander Chris Martin may have turned a corner Monday, according to President of Baseball Operations Chris Young. Martin, dealing with a shoulder impingement, played catch with lefty Robert Garcia, also dealing with a shoulder impingement, and felt no soreness for the first time since he went on the IL on April 15. Martin is eligible to come off the IL on Friday, but will take longer than that. Garcia is not eligible until May 5.
Young said right-hander Luis Curvelo, who is eligible on Friday, after a right biceps strain could “leapfrog” both Martin and Garcia and be back the quickest. Curvelo has responded well after what initially looked like a potentially scary injury.