Jose Leclerc, the Texas Rangers’ righthanded relief pitcher, is heading back to Texas with elbow soreness, per the beats, and is expected to miss “extended time.”
That is very bad.
Leclerc missed most of 2020 due to a torn shoulder muscle — the same injury that limited Corey Kluber to one inning with the Rangers in 2020 — and his velocity has been down this spring. Leclerc appeared to be poised to claim a spot as one of the best relievers in baseball after his 2018 campaign, but he had an up-and-down 2019, basically didn’t pitch in 2020, and now apparently will start the season on the injured list.