Athletics' Spencer Patton: Passes through waivers unclaimed
Rotowire
Oakland outrighted Patton to Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday after he cleared waivers.
The 35-year-old right-hander will remain in the organization after he was recently removed from the Athletics' 40-man roster following a week-and-a-half-long stint with the big club. He appeared in four games out of the Oakland bullpen, giving up four earned runs on five hits and one walk over 5.1 innings.
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Athletics' Spencer Patton: Removed from 40-man roster
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The Athletics designated Patton for assignment Saturday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
The move clears a spot on the active roster for James Kaprielian, who will be called up from Triple-A Las Vegas to start Saturday against the Rangers. Patton recorded one strikeout in 5.1 innings across four appearances with the big club this month.
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Athletics' Spencer Patton: Called up from Triple-A
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The Athletics selected Patton's contract from Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday.
Patton holds a 4.32 ERA and 10:4 K:BB over 8.1 frames with Las Vegas in 2023. The 35-year-old was fairly effective for the Rangers from 2021-22 and could even find himself getting high-leverage work in the A's makeshift bullpen.
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Athletics' Spencer Patton: Finds work in Oakland organization
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Patton agreed to a minor-league contract with the Athletics on Wednesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Patton appeared in seven games with the Rangers last season but spent most of 2022 at Triple-A Round Rock. He holds a career 5.11 ERA over 101 relief appearances at the major-league level.
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Rangers' Spencer Patton: Outrighted to Triple-A
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Patton cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday.
Patton lost his spot on the Rangers' 40-man roster Thursday, but he'll remain in the organization after going unclaimed on waivers. Over 11 relief appearances for Round Rock, he's posted a 3.48 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in 10.1 innings.
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Rangers' Spencer Patton: Removed from 40-man roster
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The Rangers designated Patton for assignment Thursday.
Patton lost his spot on the 40-man roster to outfielder Steven Duggar (oblique), whom the Rangers acquired from the Giants on Thursday and then activated from the 60-day injured list. Since being activated from the injured list May 11 and getting optioned to Triple-A Round Rock, Patton produced a 3.86 ERA and 1.61 WHIP over 9.1 innings out of the bullpen for the Rangers' top affiliate.
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Rangers' Spencer Patton: Activated, sent to Triple-A
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Patton (oblique) was activated from the 10-day injured list Wednesday and subsequently optioned to Triple-A Round Rock.
The right-hander has been sidelined by a strained right oblique since April 24, but he's now healthy after a one-game rehab assignment. Patton allowed three earned runs with a 5:3 K:BB over seven innings to begin the season, so he could receive another opportunity in the big-league bullpen later in the year.
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Rangers' Spencer Patton: Shut down with oblique strain
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The Rangers placed Patton on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a right oblique strain.
The right-hander likely picked up the injury during his four-batter appearance in Thursday's game in Seattle. He'll be eligible to return from the IL as soon as May 2, though the volatile recovery timelines associated with oblique strain make it a strong possibility that the reliever is sidelined for more than the minimum 10 days.
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Rangers' Spencer Patton: Has strong outing
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Patton struck out three over two scoreless innings in Friday's 9-6 loss to the Angels.
Patton finished off the final two innings and had his third scoreless appearance in four outings. He was mentioned as a potential closer during spring training but was left off the Opening Day roster. With the Rangers' bullpen sitting with a 5.30 ERA (28th in MLB), Patton's 1.93 ERA stands out among his mates, and he could evolve into a more important role.
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Rangers' Spencer Patton: Optioned to Triple-A
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Patton was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Patton was mentioned in the closer conversation in late March but won't even have a roster spot to begin the year, let alone the chance to earn saves. Patton should return to the roster eventually, as he recorded a 3.838 ERA and a 27.9 percent strikeout rate last season, but the Rangers apparently don't view him as an important piece of their bullpen.
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Rangers' Spencer Patton: Left off roster for now
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Patton and Greg Holland are not part of the 10-man bullpen crew set to open the season for the Rangers, independent baseball journalist Jeff Wilson reports.
It should be noted that Kennedi Landry of MLB.com confirmed only nine relievers ticketed for the roster -- Brett Martin is not on Landry's list. With the Rangers expected to carry 10 relievers while teams can carry a 28-man roster during the month of April, there could be one spot still up for grabs, and Texas manager Chris Woodward also indicated an unnamed member needs an injured list stint. That would leave a potential second spot to be filled. Patton and Holland, a pair of pitchers that the manager earlier mentioned were candidates to save games, could be roster additions.
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Rangers' Spencer Patton: Retires lone batter
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Patton retired the only batter faced in Thursday's spring training game against the Dodgers.
Patton, whose name was thrown into the closer mix by Texas manager Chris Woodward on Wednesday, made his first appearance since the manager spoke. The right-hander has been knocked around thus far in the Cactus League, giving up runs in each of his first three outings prior to Thursday. At the moment, the identity of the Rangers' closer remains very much in doubt. In addition to Patton, Woodward mentioned Matt Bush and Greg Holland as ninth-inning candidates. Joe Barlow had been the presumed closer -- he recorded saves in 11 of 12 chances last season -- but the manager seemingly doesn't want to put him in the closer's role right away.
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Rangers' Spencer Patton: Secures second save
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Patton pitched a perfect ninth inning Tuesday while striking out a hitter to earn his second save of the season in a 4-3 win over the Rockies.
Patton needed just 10 pitches to work through the ninth and was able to close the game on a swinging strikeout of Garrett Hampson. It was his first save since Aug. 2 and just his second of the year. The 33-year-old owns a 3.99 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 35:14 K:BB over 29.1 innings (30 appearances) this season and could be in line for a few additional save opportunities over the final month of the season if Joe Barlow is unavailable or if the Rangers just want to give him some more looks in late-game scenarios.
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Rangers' Spencer Patton: Gives up lead in ninth
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Patton allowed one run on one hit and three walks while striking out two over two-thirds of an inning and was tagged with a blown save in Tuesday's 5-4 extra-inning win over Seattle.
Patton has been given the ball three times to close out games since the Rangers traded Ian Kennedy and has blown two of those opportunities. Patton fell into the role, as manager Chris Woodward didn't have any attractive options. The manager is not married to Patton as the closer and could use others.
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Rangers' Spencer Patton: Gets another chance, converts save
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Patton struck out one over a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save in Monday's 4-1 win over the Angels.
Patton blew his first save opportunity Saturday, but he was given a shot at redemption Monday and converted. The 33-year-old has taken an unlikely path to becoming a closer, and it's not a given that he holds onto the job, but manager Chris Woodward has used him for the first two save opportunities following the departure of Ian Kennedy.
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Rangers' Spencer Patton: Nabs win but blows save Saturday
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Patton (1-1) picked up the win in Saturday's 5-4 extra-inning victory over the Mariners, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk over two innings. He struck out two.
The 33-year-old got the first chance to replace Ian Kennedy in the closer role for the Rangers, entering the contest in the ninth inning to protect a 3-2 lead, but he instead served up a game-tying homer to Ty France. Patton was then on the hook for a loss when he allowed the phantom runner to score in the top of the 10th, only for Jonah Heim to flip the script with a walkoff homer in the bottom of the frame. That kind of roller-coaster performance isn't going to endear him to Texas manager Chris Woodward, and Patton's first shot at a save could end up being his last this season.
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Rangers' Spencer Patton: Could be opener Sunday
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Patton is expected to be the opener Sunday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.
This news conflicts with a report from Kennedi Landry of MLB.com, who said Taylor Hearn will start Sunday against the Astros. The Morning News report did mention Hearn would likely follow Patton, so either way, Hearn is expected to pitch bulk innings.
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Rangers' Spencer Patton: Takes loss in rare poor outing
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Patton (0-1) was tagged with the loss to Oakland on Saturday, allowing four runs (three earned) on two hits and one walk while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning.
Patton allowed the runner on second to start the 11th inning to score and gave up a second run on a wild pitch before he paid for a mistake pitch to Stephen Piscotty, who launched a two-run home run. Patton had been an effective reliever when called upon since his contract was selected from Triple-A Round Rock on June 9. The 33-year-old right-hander had not allowed a run in 13 of 14 outings since he joined the Rangers, leading to an 0.77 ERA.
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Rangers' Spencer Patton: Contract selected by Rangers
Rotowire
Patton's contract was selected by the Rangers on Wednesday.
Patton served as a non-roster invitee this spring but began the season with Triple-A Round Rock. He made 11 appearances in the minors to begin the year and posted a 1.00 WHIP and 12:6 K:BB across 12 scoreless innings. Josh Sborz will likely be the favorite for save chances while Ian Kennedy (hamstring) is on the injured list, but Patton could be an option for late-game situations after he picked up four saves with the Triple-A club to begin the year.
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Rangers' Spencer Patton: Joining Rangers' camp
Rotowire
Patton signed with Texas as a non-roster invitee Tuesday.
The 32-year-old doesn't have a particularly impressive MLB resume, having recorded a 6.26 ERA at the highest level in 54.2 innings of work. He's been out of the league for four years while pitching in Japan, where he posted a solid 3.68 ERA, though most of his success came in his first two seasons overseas. His 5.15 ERA in 2019 and 4.92 ERA in 2020 don't bode particularly well for his chances of breaking camp with the Rangers.
