PEORIA, Ariz. — With fewer than two weeks remaining in spring training, it appears Alexis Diaz has pitched himself out of the competition for a spot in the Rangers’ bullpen.
On Sunday, he threw only three of 17 pitches for strikes and didn’t retire any of the five Los Angeles Angels he faced, allowing a single, a hit batter and three walks. And in three official outings this spring, he’s allowed four walks and a homer.
“It was a challenging day for him yesterday,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “There’s no really way to sugarcoat it. He kept missing on the arm side [inside on a right-handed hitter for a right-handed pitcher like Diaz] and never really made an adjustment to try to get back to the glove side.
“It was tough for him and for us to see, because he’s been working so hard at it, and it did look like the confidence just wasn’t there either. So I think there’s a lot to work on to get him back to where he needs to be. But we are getting late in camp. It’s coming quick now, and so we’re at the point that you have to make real decisions.”
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To that point, the Rangers made a round of cuts of mostly pitchers on Sunday and optioned Michael Otañez on Monday. The club is winnowing down its pitching options. The Rangers also optioned outfielder Dairon Blanco, claimed off waivers from Kansas City on Sunday, to Triple-A Round Rock on Monday.
Diaz, 29, signed a one-year major league deal with the Rangers in December. There was some hope he could regain command of the strike zone after walking 32 batters over 43 innings split between three major league teams and their minor league affiliates. Diaz averaged 25 saves a year from 2022-24.
The deal was for $1 million, but he has two minor league options remaining. If optioned, Diaz could elect free agency, but in doing so, he’d forfeit the value of the contract.
The Rangers have a host of pitchers still vying for at least three open bullpen spots. They are also canvassing other camps and monitoring potential cuts of non-roster veterans for potential experienced options. At the moment, three of the strongest internal candidates for the remaining openings have no major league experience: Rule 5 pick Carter Baumler, Gavin Collyer and Peyton Gray.
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