The Texas Rangers have fired pitcher Tim Lincecum. The right-hander had sought a return to the MLB and was most recently active on a rehab assignment in the Minor Leagues.
Lincecum had only signed a contract with the Rangers in March, but then struggled with blistering on the throwing hand. His 30-day rehab assignment ended on Tuesday, however, after which the Rangers had to make a decision: they could have activated him, he could have been sent to the Minors, and they could have left him on the DL.
But the Rangers decided to dismiss the two-time Cy-Young winner. “Despite his best intentions and a lot of hard work, we didn’t feel it would have been the right move to bring him into the MLB now,” said General Manager Jon Daniels on Tuesday. “He threw properly, but was still a little inconsistent with his control. We just didn’t think it would have been an upgrade to the relievers we already had. Our bullpen has been very, very good lately,” Daniels continued.
The figures confirm this: Over the last eleven innings before the game against the A’s on Tuesday, the Rangers bullpen only made one run in eleven innings. In addition, the Relievers made only three runs in ten games over 31 2/3 innings.
What this means for Lincecum’s future is still unclear. “I think he plans to go back to the west coast and keep working on himself,” Daniels said.
This article was published without previous view by the Major League Baseball.