Barlow (illness) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday and struck out one over a perfect inning of relief in an appearance against Salt Lake.
Barlow is first able return from the 15-day injured list early next week and looks as though he could be in line for activation near his eligibility date if he can turn in another strong rehab appearance or two. The right-hander was shelved in late May after he was diagnosed with kidney stones, but he's apparently made a swift recovery.
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Rangers' Joe Barlow: Placed on IL with illness
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Barlow was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to May 29, with kidney stones, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Barlow will be out for at least the next two weeks. He has allowed two earned runs on four hits and one walk in 3.1 innings of relief this season at the MLB level.
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Rangers' Joe Barlow: Makes season debut
Rotowire
Barlow pitched a scoreless third of an inning in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to Atlanta.
Barlow was called up this week and made his season debut Wednesday. He was Texas' closer for stretches in 2021 and 2022, notching 24 saves, but was held back this spring in Arizona due to a velocity drop before joining Triple-A Round Rock. He went 2-0 with a 2.63 ERA over 11 relief appearances for the Express, and manager Bruce Bochy said he's comfortable using Barlow in high-leverage situations. That indicates Barlow could be thrown into the setup mix, which has not performed well of late, including Wednesday when Josh Sborz and Brock Burke combined to blow a 5-3 lead in the eighth and ninth innings.
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Rangers' Joe Barlow: Recalled from Triple-A
Rotowire
The Rangers recalled Barlow from Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday.
Barlow has been solid in 11 minor-league appearances this year, posting a 2.63 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with 15 strikeouts through 13.2 innings. His strong 2023 campaign combined with his historically solid MLB resume could warrant him a few high-leverage outings with the Rangers. Cody Bradford was optioned to Round Rock in a corresponding move.
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Rangers' Joe Barlow: Optioned to Triple-A
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Barlow was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
Barlow has recorded double-digit saves in both of his MLB campaigns to date and owns a career 2.81 ERA, so the decision comes as something of a surprise. His ERA estimators, including a 4.73 xFIP and a 4.21 SIERA, tell a much different story about his performance, but he's cruised to a 2.16 ERA this spring while striking out 13 batters in 8.1 innings. Per Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, Barlow's decreased velocity this spring is a main reason for the demotion, with the Rangers hoping some mechanical tweaks in the minors will sort things out.
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Rangers' Joe Barlow: Undergoes wrist surgery
Rotowire
Barlow underwent surgery Friday to separate a pair of fused tendons in his right wrist and is expected to be ready for the start of spring training in February, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Barlow dealt with blister issues throughout 2022, and the wrist procedure is expected to help curtain those problems. The right-hander served as Texas' closer during the first half of the season and converted 13 of 17 save opportunities, but he landed on the injured list in July shortly after being demoted from the role. He finished the season with a 3.86 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 28:13 K:BB across 35 innings.
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Rangers' Joe Barlow: Positive results in rehab
Rotowire
Barlow (finger) struck out two in a scoreless inning Saturday during his first rehab appearance at Triple-A Round Rock.
The rehab appearance was a promising one, as he retired the side on 14 pitches. Barlow is expected to make another appearance for Round Rock on Tuesday or Wednesday.
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Rangers' Joe Barlow: Begins rehab assignment
Rotowire
Barlow (finger) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday.
Barlow has missed most of the last two months due to a blister on his finger, but he resumed mound work in early September and will return to game action in the minors Saturday. It's not yet clear how many rehab appearances he'll require before rejoining the big-league club.
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Rangers' Joe Barlow: Throwing off mound Wednesday
Rotowire
Barlow (blister) will throw off a mound Wednesday, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.
Barlow could end up missing two months due to blister trouble, with one appearance sandwiched in between absences. Once he is able to return, he should work in a setup capacity.
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Rangers' Joe Barlow: Throws inning in return
Rotowire
Barlow allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one in one inning in Wednesday's 7-2 loss to Oakland.
Barlow, the Rangers' one-time closer, returned from a month-long absence due to a blister. He was given a soft re-entry, pitching the sixth inning with Texas down, 3-1. Since his injury, the Rangers have installed Jonathan Hernandez as the closer.
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Rangers' Joe Barlow: Makes return from IL
Rotowire
The Rangers reinstated Barlow (finger) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday.
Barlow is back on the active roster for the first time since July 13 after he required more time than expected to recover from a blister on his right index finger. During his most recent rehab appearance Sunday at Triple-A Round Rock, Barlow answered any questions about whether the blister was still affecting his control and command, as he struck out two batters while allowing one baserunner over a two-inning outing. He'll likely slot into a setup role as he rejoins the Rangers, with Jonathan Hernandez having at least temporarily seized hold of primary closing duties for the club.
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Rangers' Joe Barlow: Rehab moves to Triple-A
Rotowire
Barlow (finger) shifted his rehab assignment from Double-A Frisco to Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday.
Barlow will make a rehab appearance for Round Rock later Wednesday in what could be his final tune-up outing before returning from the 15-day injured list. When he's likely activated this weekend, Barlow will be rejoining a Rangers bullpen that is a bit thinner after Matt Bush was dealt to the Brewers, but Barlow may still have to settle for a setup or middle-relief role initially. That being said, Brett Martin has been shaky in his recent save chances, so if Barlow pitches effectively upon being activated, he may not have to wait long to get another look as the team's closer.
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Rangers' Joe Barlow: Nearing return
Rotowire
Barlow (finger) will begin a rehab assignment over the weekend, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Barlow was placed on the injured list July 13 due to a blister. He's set to miss slightly more than the minimum 15 days but should return in early August, barring a setback. Barlow's role will be worth monitoring, as he was removed as closer shortly before suffering the injury. However, Brett Martin has struggled of late, which could open up save chances in Texas.
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Rangers' Joe Barlow: Removed from closer role
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Barlow will pitch in a lower-leverage role for now, with the Rangers switching to a committee approach in the ninth inning, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.
Barlow has 13 of the Rangers' 17 saves this season, but he hasn't been particularly convincing despite his solid 3.18 ERA. He hasn't missed nearly enough bats, with his 19.3 percent strikeout rate ranking second-last among the 24 pitchers who've recorded double-digit saves this season, beating only Mark Melancon. Dennis Santana has been used in the highest-leverage situations among Rangers relievers other than Barlow, so he could be the top choice for saves going forward, though the team seems to be planning on spreading opportunities around.
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Rangers' Joe Barlow: Blows fourth save
Rotowire
Barlow was charged with a blown save after giving up one run on one hit during the ninth inning of Tuesday's extra-inning loss to the Orioles. He had one strikeout and did not walk a batter.
The right-hander was called upon to protect a one-run lead, but he surrendered a two-out solo homer to Rougned Odor, which tied the game 9-9. It's the second straight blown save for Barlow, and he's allowed five earned runs over his past eight innings after posting a 2.21 ERA across his first 20.1 frames of the year.
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Rangers' Joe Barlow: Earns third win
Rotowire
Barlow (3-1) pitched a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout to put himself in line for the win in a 3-2 walkoff victory over the Nationals on Saturday.
Barlow was called in to pitch the ninth with the game tied 2-2. He did his job and let the offense take care of the rest, earning his third win of the season to go along with 13 saves. The Rangers closer has a healthy 2.84 ERA and 0.95 WHIP on the season and doesn't appear to have any competition for the ninth-inning role. However, Barlow's 5.10 xERA and 4.50 xFIP suggest that his numbers could be on the brink of correcting higher.
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Rangers' Joe Barlow: Converts 12th save
Rotowire
Barlow walked one and struck out one in one inning to earn the save in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Tigers.
Barlow has had a messy June, allowing seven runs (five earned) in six innings while converting just three of five save chances. This was one of his less dramatic efforts lately, but he's kept runners off base in only one of his last six outings. The right-hander is 12-for-14 in save conversions overall while adding a 3.09 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 20:8 K:BB across 23.1 innings.
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Rangers' Joe Barlow: Blows save
Rotowire
Barlow (2-1) picked up the win despite blowing a save after allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits and a hit batsman while striking out a batter in the 11th inning of an 8-6 win Sunday against the White Sox.
Barlow entered the 11th with a three-run lead and gave up three runs before retiring the final two batters. The Rangers scored twice in the top of the 12th to make Barlow the pitcher of record. It has been a rough month of June for the righty as he is 2-for-4 in save chances and has allowed seven runs (five earned) in five innings of work. His ERA has risen from 1.56 to 3.22 over those five innings.
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Rangers' Joe Barlow: Bounces back Saturday
Rotowire
Barlow struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Mariners.
Barlow blew a save and took the loss Friday against the M's, but he bounced back with a clean inning Saturday for his 10th save in 11 chances. He's kept runs off the board in 14 of his 19 appearances this year. The 26-year-old now has a 2.33 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 18:6 K:BB across 19.1 innings.
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Rangers' Joe Barlow: Earns ninth save
Rotowire
Barlow picked up the save after retiring the side in order in a 3-0 win Tuesday over Tampa Bay.
Barlow needed only nine pitches to close out the game. He is now 9-for-9 in save opportunities on the season with a minuscule 1.56 ERA. The righty capped off an excellent month of May, having allowed one earned run in 12 innings.
