Rangers' Jonathan Hernandez: Could be in closer mix
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Rangers GM Chris Young said Saturday that Hernandez "could be a closer" for the club in 2023, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.
Jose Leclerc, who finished 2022 as Texas' closer, is likely the current frontrunner for the job and was the first of many names mentioned by Young, but Hernandez was the next man brought up by the new GM. Hernandez returned from a lengthy absence last season after he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021 and had a 2.97 ERA with four saves across 30.1 innings, but he struggled with his command at times and had a 13.0 percent walk rate. The right-hander may not open 2023 as the Rangers' primary closer, but Hernandez should have a high-leverage role and is likely to receive some save chances at some point.
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Rangers' Jonathan Hernandez: Settles at $1.275 million
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Hernandez signed a one-year, $1.275 million contract with the Rangers on Friday to avoid arbitration, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Recovery from a Tommy John procedure in April 2021 kept Hernandez from playing last season until mid-July, but he was effective after he returned. In 30.1 innings, he recorded a 2.97 ERA and 1.42 WHIP -- good enough to keep him in a setup role to start 2023.
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Rangers' Jonathan Hernandez: Implodes for blown save
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Hernandez (1-1) blew the save and took the loss against the Red Sox on Thursday, allowing four runs on four hits and three walks while recording only one out (on a strikeout).
The Rangers carried a three-run lead into the ninth inning, and they turned to Hernandez to slam the door. The righty reliever clearly didn't have his best stuff, as he threw only 14 of 26 pitches for strikes and walked the first two batters he faced. Boston followed with a pair of hits to plate two runs, and after Hernandez struck out J.D. Martinez and issued an intentional walk to Christian Arroyo, two more Red Sox hits plated the tying and winning runs. Hernandez entered the contest with a 1.69 ERA, but that number ballooned to 3.86 following his first loss and first blown save of the campaign.
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Rangers' Jonathan Hernandez: Throws eighth inning
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Hernandez struck out one over a scoreless eighth inning to earn a hold in Friday's 7-6 win over the Tigers.
Hernandez has been the primary closer for the Rangers since late July, but interim manager Tony Beasley had the right-hander pitch the eighth inning in what was heading to be a save situation -- the Rangers were leading 7-4. Instead, Beasley left the ninth inning for Jose Leclerc, who allowed a pair runs while converting the save. It was the second time this week that Beasley skipped Hernandez for a save -- Matt Moore closed out a win Monday.
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Rangers' Jonathan Hernandez: Picks up extra-inning win
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Hernandez (1-0) earned the extra-inning win Saturday over the Twins. He allowed an unearned run on a hit and a walk while striking out one over two innings.
Hernandez was kept in the game for the 10th inning after pitching a scoreless ninth. The right-hander walked Carlos Correa, got two outs, allowed a run to score on an error and then got Jose Miranda to fly out to end the threat. This was Hernandez's first win in 12 appearances this year, and he's maintained a 2.08 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 11:5 K:BB through 12 innings. He's functioned as the head of the Rangers' closer committee with Joe Barlow (finger) out -- Hernandez has four saves, all since July 31, and Jose Leclerc is the only other reliever on the team to log a save in that span.
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Rangers' Jonathan Hernandez: Earns fourth save Monday
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Hernandez picked up the save in Monday's 2-1 win over the Athletics. He threw a perfect inning with two strikeouts.
The 26-year-old has emerged as the top option for the Rangers in the ninth inning with Joe Barlow and Dennis Santana on the shelf and Brett Martin failing to get the job done. Hernandez has recorded four saves since July 31 and owns a healthy 2.45 ERA in 11 innings this season. Hernandez should continue to be the top option to close out games for Texas as long as the bullpen remains hampered, and perhaps beyond.
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Rangers' Jonathan Hernandez: Shuts door for third save
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Hernandez pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn the save in a 7-4 victory over the Mariners on Saturday.
Hernandez continues to look good as the Texas closer. He now has three saves since July 31 and has pitched well this season with a 1.10 WHIP over 10 appearances. Rangers manager Chris Woodward will likely keep handing him the ball as long as he remains effective, although former closer Joe Barlow (finger) could be a factor again once he's activated from the IL.
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Rangers' Jonathan Hernandez: Logs another save
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Hernandez saved Thursday's 3-2 win against the White Sox, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.
Hernandez received a second straight save chance and delivered again with a stress-free outing. The 26-year-old has recorded saves in two of his last three appearances with five strikeouts across the outings and appears to be the new favorite to close games for Texas. He features a 2.57 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with seven strikeouts in seven innings.
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Rangers' Jonathan Hernandez: Possible waiver wire pickups
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Hernandez recorded his first save of the season Sunday in only his fifth appearance back from Tommy John surgery, and he was also warming up to preserve a ninth-inning lead Saturday before the save chance was taken away. He would seem to be the leading candidate to close now for the Rangers, with left-hander Brett Martin having fumbled away the role in epic fashion. When last we saw Hernandez, he was putting together a 2.90 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 9.0 K/9 in 2020 and looked like might get the first crack to close last year before the elbow issue surfaced in spring training. He has come back from the procedure throwing just as hard, his fastball peaking at 100 mph, and hasn't shied away from throwing his swing-and-miss slider nearly 50 percent of the time.
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Rangers' Jonathan Hernandez: Notches first save
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Hernandez saved Sunday's 5-2 win against the Angels, striking out one in a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
Manager Chris Woodward turned to Hernandez for his fifth appearance of the campaign after Texas took the lead in the top of the ninth, and the 26-year-old delivered an easy frame. Texas has featured a revolving door at closer of late and Hernandez may be the new favorite, as he's permitted four baserunners with four strikeouts across five scoreless innings this season.
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Rangers' Jonathan Hernandez: Makes 2022 debut
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Hernandez allowed one hit and struck out one over a scoreless inning in Saturday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to Seattle.
Hernandez was activated off the 60-day injured list and put to work immediately in an important spot with the Rangers trailing by one in the seventh inning. This was the first time he's thrown in a regular-season game since 2020, a year in which he had a 2.90 ERA and was an anchor at the back end of the bullpen. He was slated for a similar role prior to undergoing Tommy John elbow surgery in April of 2021 and could resume his role as a key component late in games in 2022.
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Rangers' Jonathan Hernandez: Walks two in rehab debut
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Hernandez (elbow) walked two and struck out one over two-thirds of a scoreless inning for Triple-A Round Rock on Friday.
Hernandez kicked off a rehab assignment with the Express, his first game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2021. The right-hander had been a starter in the minors but served as high-leverage reliever for the Rangers prior to his injury. It's not yet clear now many rehab appearances he'll need before he's ready to be activated from the 60-day injured list.
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Rangers' Jonathan Hernandez: Rehab assignment at Triple-A
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Hernandez (elbow) was sent to Triple-A Round Rock on Friday for a rehab assignment.
He underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2021 and is now almost 14 months removed from the procedure. The rehab assignment will likely be lengthy, but once healthy, Hernandez should join the big-league bullpen.
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Rangers' Jonathan Hernandez: Appears in extended spring game
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Hernandez (elbow) tossed a scoreless inning Tuesday in his appearance at an extended spring training game, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Fellow rehabbing reliever Jose Leclerc (elbow) also made an appearance Tuesday, but he's already been pitching in games for about a week and should be ready to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment as soon as next week. Hernandez doesn't look to be too far behind Leclerc, with both tracking toward returns from the 60-day injured list at some point in June. With Joe Barlow having thus far converted all seven of his save chances, Hernandez isn't likely to challenge for the closing role once activated, but he could fill a key late-inning role for Texas.
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Rangers' Jonathan Hernandez: Trending toward June return
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Hernandez (elbow) is trending toward a return in mid-to-late June, Chris Halicke of SI.com reports.
Hernandez was thought to have a chance to close last season before a preseason elbow injury wound up requiring Tommy John surgery in April. He's said to be slightly behind teammate Jose Leclerc, who underwent the same procedure in late March. Either pitcher could push for the closer role in the second half, as presumptive favorite Joe Barlow is hardly an inner-circle option for the spot, though that would require them pitching at close to full strength immediately after returning to action.
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Rangers' Jonathan Hernandez: Resumes mound work
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Hernandez (elbow) threw a bullpen session Wednesday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
Along with Hernandez, fellow rehabbing reliever Jose Leclerc (elbow) also threw a side session as the two work their way back from the Tommy John surgeries they underwent last spring. As relievers, Hernandez and Leclerc should both have slightly shorter recovery timelines than a starting pitcher rehabbing from Tommy John, but the two are still likely to open the campaign on the 60-day injured list.
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Rangers' Jonathan Hernandez: Undergoes Tommy John surgery
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Hernandez underwent Tommy John surgery Monday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Hernandez was seen as one of the favorites to close for the Rangers this season before spraining his UCL in early March. The issue hasn't progressed as the team hoped, so he'll now miss the entirety of this season as well as roughly half of the 2022 campaign. With several other injuries striking the Rangers' bullpen, veteran Ian Kennedy has picked up the team's two saves thus far.
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Rangers' Jonathan Hernandez: Placed on 60-day injured list
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Hernandez (elbow) landed on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.
Hernandez looked to have a chance to close games this season before being diagnosed with a UCL sprain in early March. His return timeline remains unclear, but he'll be out until the end of May at the earliest. There's still a chance he picks up saves in the back half of the season with Jose Leclerc ruled out for more than a year due to Tommy John surgery, but he'll have to prove his health and effectiveness before reentering that conversation.
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Rangers' Jonathan Hernandez: Suffers UCL sprain
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Hernandez was diagnosed with a low-grade UCL sprain Tuesday and won't throw for at least four weeks, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Hernandez isn't currently expected to require surgery, but he'll likely miss a meaningful portion of the regular season. He won't throw until early April at the earliest and will need several weeks to build his arm back up once he's cleared to do so, making late May the most realistic target date for Hernandez to make his 2021 debut. That's bad news for the Rangers, as Hernandez was expected to be at minimum a high-leverage reliever, and at best, the team's top candidate to close games. Jose Leclerc now seems to have a clearer path to reclaiming that role after he missed most of last season due to shoulder issues.
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Rangers' Jonathan Hernandez: Will open fourth spring game
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Hernandez will start the Rangers' fourth spring game Wednesday against the Angels, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
Hernandez is not on the radar as a starter, so the decision to have him open a Cactus League game carries little significance. He's expected to serve a key role at the back end of the bullpen, possibly even as the closer.
