Dallas Keuchel Signs With Rangers, His Third Team This Season
Dallas Keuchel is heading back to Texas.
No, the southpaw is not reuniting with the Houston Astros. Instead, Keuchel has signed a minor league contract with the Rangers. Texas announced the move late Monday night.
Keuchel is expected to report to Triple-A Round Rock later this week, according to the team.
The Lone Star State is a familiar one to Keuchel, who spent the first seven years of his big league career with the Astros after they drafted him in the seventh round in 2009. Keuchel won the 2015 American League Cy Young with Houston and was part of the Astros' 2017 championship team. Keuchel recorded sub-3.00 ERAs in 2014, 2015 and 2017, and he represented Houston in the All-Star Game in 2015 and 2017.
Now 34 years old, Keuchel and the Rangers are hoping that the pitcher can find a fraction of that success in his return to Texas.
The 2022 season has not been kind to the veteran; the Rangers are his third team this year. Keuchel's campaign got off to a rocky start with the White Sox, as he recorded a 7.88 ERA over eight starts before Chicago released him on May 30.
The Diamondbacks gave Keuchel a chance to rebound, signing him on June 7, but the former 20-game winner also struggled in Arizona despite reuniting with former Astros pitching coach Brent Strom. Keuchel only made four starts for the D-backs, recording a 9.64 ERA in the process.
Keuchel's disastrous 2022 campaign follows a tough 2021 season. Pitching exclusively for the White Sox, he tallied a 5.28 ERA, the worst mark of his career, over 32 games (30 starts). Keuchel's only successful year in Chicago came during the shortened 2020 season when he recorded a 1.99 ERA over 11 starts.
While Keuchel has pitched poorly since last year, there's no risk in the Rangers giving him another chance. The team is under .500, and Taylor Hearn, Glenn Otto and Spencer Howard all have ERAs above 5.00. At the very least, Keuchel could help the youngsters as a mentor if he gets back to the majors.
