ARLINGTON -- Right-handed reliever Shawn Tolleson, who was the Rangers' closer and Pitcher of the Year in 2015, has been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock.
Tolleson was optioned to make room for pitcher Lucas Harrell on the 25-man roster. Tolleson had a 7.68 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP in 37 games for the Rangers.
"That was obviously a tough decision," manager Jeff Banister said before Friday's game against the Royals. "A very challenging decision based on the body of work from last year. Obviously early on, he had some challenges. He was working his way back and was the closer, but there are still some execution of pitches [Tolleson] needs to work on.