43 Tony Barnette RP

Barnette tossed three shutout innings in relief in Saturday's 4-0 loss to the Orioles. He gave up no hits and walked two batters while striking out six.

The Rangers may have found a niche for Barnette as a long man out of the bullpen, as he's looked dominant in that capacity his last two times out, covering 5.1 scoreless innings and registering 10 strikeouts. Despite his recent success, the 33-year-old is still sitting on a 5.35 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 33.2 innings, though a 41:11 K:BB and 3.68 FIP paint a rosier picture.

Barnette tossed 2.1 scoreless innings in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Rays, giving up one hit and striking out four batters.

After starter Tyson Ross couldn't escape the fourth inning, Barnette entered the contest with two outs and the bases loaded, and he was able to extinguish the Rays threat by inducing a flyout from Evan Longoria. Barnette was then able to keep the Rays off the board for the next two innings, which proved vital as the Rangers mounted a comeback. Despite his strong performance Sunday, Barnette still seems destined to make most of his appearances in lower-leverage situations, considering his 5.87 ERA on the season.

Barnette tossed a perfect ninth inning in Tuesday's 11-4 loss to the Red Sox. He struck out two batters in the outing.

Barnette has now turned in two scoreless appearances since coming off the disabled list Sunday after missing time due to a sprained finger. The Texas bullpen has been a mess right now and is unsettled on a closer with Matt Bush recently removed from that role, but despite his recent success, Barnette shouldn't be considered a challenger for those duties. He wilted frequently in high-leverage situations prior to hitting the DL and carries a 6.58 ERA and 1.58 WHIP for the season.

Barnette (finger) was activated from the 10-day disabled list Sunday.

The right-hander, who has been out since mid-June with the sprained finger, recently wrapped up a two-game rehab stint with Triple-A Round Rock, during which he tossed three scoreless innings and struck out three batters. Barnette will be available out of the bullpen for Sunday's game against the White Sox and will likely be ticketed for middle relief after supplying a 7.23 ERA and 1.69 WHIP in 23.2 innings this season before hitting the DL.

Barnette (finger) will head to Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday for the beginning of his rehab assignment, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Barnette was placed on the 10-day DL just about a week ago after spraining a finger on his throwing hand. He will toss one inning of relief Tuesday, followed by two Thursday. Following his three innings of work, the right-hander will be re-evaluated to see if he can join the Rangers by the end of next weekend.