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Leclerc has taken on a right-handed setup role in the Rangers' bullpen, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.
Leclerc was entrusted with a 1-0 lead during Friday's win over the Astros, entering the game with none out and a man on first, and retired all three batters faced, including Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa. The right-hander has allowed just one of 13 inherited runners to score and now has a 2.30 ERA with 18 strikeouts and six walks over 13.1 innings. Results like that is deserving of manager Jeff Banister's trust. The 24-year-old Leclerc was trending this way in 2017 before a second-half implosion took him out of consideration for a regular gig as a setup reliever. Here in 2018, he's managed to keep the walks down, a major reason for last year's downturn.
