The Rangers have signed right-hander Codi Heuer to a minor league contract, FanSided’s Robert Murray studies (by way of X). Heuer was a free agent after being non-tendered by the Cubs in November.
It has been over two years since Heuer final stepped on an enormous league mound, and he has solely 12 2/3 minor league innings on his resume for the reason that begin of the 2022 season. A Tommy John process stored Heuer on the shelf for a lot of that point, however whereas pitching in a minor league rehab outing final June, he suffered an elbow fracture that required one other surgical procedure.
Heuer was a sixth-round choose for the White Sox within the 2018 draft, and he made his Main League debut within the type of 23 2/3 innings within the 2020 season. Heuer had a powerful 1.52 ERA in that first style of the Present, even when a .193 BABIP helped his outperform such peripherals as a 3.69 SIERA. The righty got here nearer to that mark with a 4.28 ERA in 67 1/3 mixed innings with the White Sox and Cubs in 2021, as Heuer and Nick Madrigal went from the South Aspect to Wrigleyville within the all-Chicago deadline commerce that despatched Craig Kimbrel to the Sox.
Between the prolonged layoff and the variables that went into the 2020 season, it’s laborious to challenge if Heuer will ever have the ability to match his spectacular numbers (together with a 27.2% strikeout charge and 9.8% stroll charge) from that shortened season, as his Okay% sharply dropped to 19.9% in 2021. Heuer’s fastball additionally dropped from 97.6mph in 2020 to 95.9mph in 2021, and it’s truthful to surprise how two surgical procedures have since impacted his velocity. Nonetheless, Heuer doesn’t flip 28 till July, and he would hardly be the primary considerably unheralded pitcher to get pleasure from a second wind in his profession after getting wholesome. There’s no danger and loads of upside for Texas on this minor league deal, significantly since enhancing the bullpen has been a recognized focus for the Rangers for the higher a part of two seasons.
