Luis Curvelo Gives Rangers Bullpen First Healthy Reinforcement of Season

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers needed a healthy arm after putting Carter Baumler on the injured list on Sunday. In came Luis Curvelo.

He didn’t pitch in Sunday’s finale against the Cincinnati Reds, but the right-hander is likely to get a shot sometime in the series with the Seattle Mariners, which starts on Monday at Globe Life Field.

Baumler is out for the next 14 days with a right intercostal strain. It was the pitching staff’s first IL move of the year. Baumler acquitted himself nicely in his four games, as he had a 3.18 ERA with six strikeouts and six walks.

The Rangers need Curvelo. All their relievers have pitched in either four or five games in the first nine contests of the season. Setting Baumler’s health aside, the Rangers need a fresh arm.

Luis Curvelo’s Return is Well-Timed

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Luis Curvelo prepares to throw a baseball. — Texas Rangers relief pitcher Luis Curvelo. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker acknowledged on Sunday that Curvelo was one of the final cuts of spring training. But the first-year Rangers manager also knew Curvelo would be back at some point. He pointed out repeatedly in spring training that the team was building a 40-man roster, not just an opening-day roster.

“He was going to help us at some point, and he’s going to help us in right-handed [hitting] lanes, that’s for sure,” Schumaker said. “Hopefully he can get multiple innings, too, if we need it. But we like where he’s at with the fastball, slider combo and the new split that he was toying with in the spring.”

Curvelo has pitched three games at Triple-A Round Rock and is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA. He’s allowed two hits and two earned runs in three innings, with three strikeouts and two walks. He last pitched on Thursday. During spring training, he went 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA in eight games with 12 strikeouts and one walk.

He made his MLB debut last season after the Rangers signed the long-time Mariners farmhand to a Major League deal. He gave the Rangers some valuable innings, even as he went 1-1 with a 5.68 ERA in 17 games. While Schumaker said that he can help the Rangers in right-handed lanes, he was especially difficult for left-handers to hit, as they hit just .194 against him. Right-handers batted .268.

With a bullpen that has already been overworked in the last nine games, Curvelo should have a role in this series. How well his pitches will determine what happens when Baumler is healthy and ready to return.