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Impressive in ’16, Bush likely to stay in ‘pen
- Updated: January 2, 2017
ARLINGTON — Cooler heads are prevailing in the case of Rangers pitcher Matt Bush.
Texas is planning on keeping him in the bullpen even though there had been some chatter this offseason about moving him to the rotation. Staying in the bullpen appears to be Bush’s preference after his successful rookie season as a setup reliever.
“I thought about [starting] a little bit, just the idea of it,” Bush said. “Looking back on my season, I’m very grateful and very thankful to be able to stay healthy and strong and continue to progress into the role I was in. I’m looking forward to being able to do the same [in 2017].
“I’ve never started professionally. I feel great with where I’m at as a reliever right now. I feel like it’s the best place for me right now. I still have some building to do with my arm. My career is very young. I just want to continue to do what I did last year.”
Bush, after a four-year absence from baseball, appeared in 58 games in 2016 and went 7-2 with a 2.48 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. In 61 2/3 innings, he averaged 8.9 strikeouts, two walks and 6.4 hits per nine innings.
“I feel really good about the season last year,” Bush said. “I was able to stay healthy, stay strong and contribute to a winning team. This offseason, I’m just looking to repeat what I did last year — stay healthy and stay strong.”
The Rangers discussed the idea of Bush switching because of their abundance of relievers and need for more rotation options. Their bullpen includes closer Sam Dyson, right-handers Tony Barnette, Jeremy Jeffress and Keone Kela and left-handers Jake Diekman and Alex Claudio, among others.
Texas’ rotation includes Cole Hamels, Yu Darvish, Martin Perez and Andrew Cashner, with A.J. Griffin and Nick Martinez as the leading candidates for the fifth starter.
The …
