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Top Clayton Blackburn News

  • Reds' Clayton Blackburn: Latches on with Reds

    Blackburn (elbow) signed a minor-league contract with Cincinnati on Friday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

    Blackburn elected free agency at the beginning of November after being booted off the Rangers' 40-man roster. He's yet to make his big-league debut and is still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery that took place in April of 2018. It's uncertain as to when he may return to full strength.

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  • Rangers' Clayton Blackburn: Outrighted to Round Rock

    Blackburn (elbow) was outrighted from the 40-man roster Friday and is expected to elect free agency.

    Blackburn missed the entirety of the 2018 season after suffering a strained UCL in March. He wound up undergoing Tommy John surgery in early April, which means that he likely won't be fully healed by the time spring training rolls around.

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  • Rangers' Clayton Blackburn: Set for Tommy John surgery

    Blackburn (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery this week, Levi Weaver of The Athletic Dallas reports.

    This is a tough break for Blackburn, who was originally hoping to avoid surgery in his recovery from a strained UCL. The issue wasn't improving, however, prompting the 25-year-old to opt for surgery. He'll now be sidelined for the remainder of the 2018 season and a good chunk of the 2019 campaign as he works his way back.

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  • Rangers' Clayton Blackburn: Moved to 60-day disabled list

    Blackburn (elbow) was moved to the 60-day-disabled list Monday.

    The move was made to open up a spot on the 40-man roster for new acquisition Tommy Joseph. Blackburn is expected to be out for well over 60 days as he's dealing with a strained UCL. He's at least a month away from throwing and will miss at least the first half of the season or possibly more if he ends up requiring elbow surgery.

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  • Rangers' Clayton Blackburn: Dealing with UCL strain

    Blackburn was diagnosed with a strained UCL on Thursday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

    Blackburn was already expected to miss the first half of the season, but this development means he could miss even more time. The Rangers are planning to take a conservative approach for 4-to-6 weeks before restarting his throwing program. Surgery is still on the table, but it seems like they're planning on simply resting the injury for now.

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  • Rangers' Clayton Blackburn: Hampered by elbow tightness

    Blackburn exited Monday's spring game early due to right elbow tightness.

    Blackburn faced five hitters before leaving the contest clutching his elbow. He was transported back to the team's camp in Surprise for further evaluation, which should provide some clarity on the severity of the injury.

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  • Rangers' Clayton Blackburn: Expects to miss most of first half

    Blackburn (elbow) is not expected to return until after the All-Star break, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

    Blackburn underwent an MRI on Monday shortly after injuring his elbow, and although the results won't be read until Thursday, the initial prognosis isn't great. The team seems pretty confident he'll be held out for a significant chunk of time, but an exact return timetable has yet to be determined.

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  • Rangers' Clayton Blackburn: Roughed up in third start

    Blackburn allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits while striking out two over 2.1 innings in Wednesday's game against Colorado.

    Blackburn had been the early surprise of camp after pitching five scoreless innings over his first two starts. He ran that scoreless streak to six innings, before the Rockies jumped on him. After the first inning, seven of the 10 batters he faced reach base, seemingly putting an end to his bid for spot in the rotation. He was the longest of shots to nab the final rotation spot and is expected to head back to Triple-A Round Rock for the start of the season.

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  • Rangers' Clayton Blackburn: Emerges as dark horse

    Blackburn has pitched five scoreless spring innings and will start Wednesday against the Rockies, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

    Blackburn has emerged as a dark-horse candidate for a spot in the Rangers' rotation. He pitched better than last season's 4.65 ERA in 18 starts at Triple-A Round Rock implies, but there's not much to get excited about in his minor-league track record. With the Rangers kicking the tires on a six-man rotation, there could be at least two available slots. Also in the mix are Jesse Chavez, Jonathan Niese and Bartolo Colong along with relievers Matt Bush and Mike Minor.

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  • Rangers' Clayton Blackburn: Sent back to minors

    Blackburn was optioned back to Triple-A Round Rock following Wednesday's game against the Mariners, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

    Blackburn was sent back to the minors to clear room on the roster for Thursday's starter A.J. Griffin (oblique). He didn't appear in a game during his brief stint with the Rangers, so he'll have to wait a little while longer to make his MLB debut as he looks to improve upon his 4.94 ERA with the Express.

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  • Rangers' Clayton Blackburn: Called up from Round Rock

    Blackburn was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Monday, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

    With ace Yu Darvish having been dealt at the trade deadline, the Rangers needed a fresh arm in the big leagues. Enter Blackburn, who will head to the majors to make his MLB debut. Although he worked as a starter with the Express, producing a 4.94 ERA, he'll likely act as a long reliever. A.J. Griffin and Nick Martinez are more likely options to fill the vacancy in the rotation.

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  • Rangers' Clayton Blackburn: Dealt to Rangers

    Blackburn was traded to the Rangers on Sunday.

    In return for Blackburn, the Rangers sent Frandy De La Rosa to the Giants, along with cash considerations. Blackburn pitched one game at Triple-A Sacramento this season, during which he allowed five runs over three innings. Blackburn will begin his time with Texas at Triple-A Round Rock.

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  • Giants' Clayton Blackburn: Designated for assignment

    Blackburn was designated for assignment by the Giants on Tuesday.

    Blackburn was DFA'd in order to make room on the 40-man roster for Tim Federowicz, who was called up to serve as backup catcher to Nick Hundley while Buster Posey is on the 7-day DL. He posted a 4.36 ERA with a 101:35 K:BB across 136.1 innings at Triple-A last season. The 24-year-old will likely garner some interest on waivers.

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  • Giants' Clayton Blackburn: Optioned to minors

    Blackburn was optioned to minor league spring training Sunday, CSN Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic reports.

    Blackburn had an outside chance of making the 25-man roster this spring, but he wasn't able to impress with a 6.23 ERA over 8.2 innings of work. He will likely join Triple-A Sacramento to start the year and be called upon should injuries strike San Francisco's rotation during the regular season.

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  • Giants' Clayton Blackburn: Bounces back Saturday

    Blackburn started Saturday's tilt against the Royals, firing a pair of shutout innings while striking out three and walking one.

    Blackburn was coming off of a rough outing against the Padres on Tuesday, where he surrendered three runs in his two innings of work. Saturday's strong performance brought his spring training ERA back down the 4.50 over six innings. The Giants technically have one starting rotation spot open and two in the bullpen (one as a long man), but Blackburn is considered a long shot to make the 25-man rotation barring an unforeseen injury. Even if he isn't with the big club on Opening Day, the 24-year-old is considered one of the options who are next in line for a call-up, along with Tyler Beede and Ty Blach.

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  • Giants' Clayton Blackburn: Will compete for roster spot this spring

    With three pitching spots available heading into spring training, Blackburn will get a chance to earn a spot on the 25-man roster.

    The Giants currently have the fifth starter, long relief and final middle reliever jobs open, and Blackburn could potentially fill any of those roles. In fact, he may have been a favorite had he not had such a poor 2016 campaign. After steadily improving his ERA with each level he advanced prior to last year, the righty took a big step backwards, posting a 4.36 ERA with a career-worst 6.67 K/9. He would have to really show something in Cactus League play to have a shot at making the 25-man roster.

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  • Giants' Clayton Blackburn: Optioned to Triple-A on Tuesday

    Blackburn was optioned to Triple-A on Tuesday, Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area reports.

    Blackburn was called up last Thursday but didn't appear a single time out of the San Francisco bullpen. He'll head back to the minors to get more experience against upper-level hitters before getting another (hopefully more extensive) cup of coffee in the big leagues.

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  • Giants' Clayton Blackburn: Recalled from Triple-A on Thursday

    Blackburn was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

    Blackburn hasn't been all that impressive in seven appearances (six starts) with the Triple-A club, but he'll be set to make his first trip to the majors anyway. He'll likely slot into low leverage situations in the Giants bullpen.

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  • Giants' Clayton Blackburn: Shelled for six runs in Thursday's start

    Blackburn struggled mightily in his start Thursday, allowing six runs (five earned) on 11 hits over 3.0 innings of work.

    Blackburn has had an inconsistent beginning to the season. He allowed just one run over 8.1 innings April 22, but sandwiched that start with two rough outings in which he couldn't make it to the fifth inning. Blackburn had a great 2015 at Triple-A, going 10-4 with a 2.85 ERA. Expect him to get back to that level going forward and fight for a promotion.

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Player Bio

HT/WT: 6-3, 230 lbs
Birthplace: Amarillo, TX
Age: 31
Bats/Throws: L, R