ARLINGTON, Texas — The last time Glenn Otto threw a pitch in a Texas Rangers regular season game he was a member of the starting rotation.
That was the end of the 2022 season. On Friday, Otto came into pitch the ninth inning of the 5-3 loss to the Houston Astros. It was his first relief appearance as a Major Leaguer. His previous 33 games were all starts.
At this point, Otto is just glad to be healthy and back in the clubhouse at Globe Life Field. Whatever the Rangers need from him, he’s happy to provide.
“I’m here to get outs, you know?” Otto said. “Whatever form or fashion that is, I’m here to do that.”
Otto came on in the ninth inning of Friday’s game and retired the side in order, throwing just 10 pitches. He was effective, and it was an appearance three months in the making.
Otto went on the 60-day injured list on March 30. At the time, he was fighting for a spot in the bullpen after the Rangers spent serious money in the offseason on four veteran starters — Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Heaney and Martín Pérez.
The injury also robbed Otto of a potential chance to become a starter when deGrom was lost in late April to an elbow injury that eventually resulted in season-ending surgery. Dane Dunning assumed that spot and has flourished.
Meanwhile Otto worked at the team’s complex in Surprise, Ariz., to rehab from his right shoulder strain. He watched as the Rangers turned into a first-place team without him.
Otto — 7-10 as a starter last year for a team that won 68 games — is joining a much different baseball team.
“You look around the clubhouse and everyone expects to win,” Otto said. “That’s refreshing. It’s something that’s cool to be a part of, for sure.”
Otto’s build-up during rehab was slow and actually preparing him for a bullpen role. At the complex, he started by throwing one inning, then two and then three in an effort to build up his arm strength.
Once he was assigned to Triple-A Round Rock for his rehab assignment, he was able to start with a three-inning outing and build up to four innings.
In three starts at Round Rock, he had a 2.70 ERA in 10 innings, giving up six hits, three runs and one walk while striking out 14.
The Rangers called Otto up on Friday to help in the long relief department, an area where they were primarily getting help from John King, who was sent down to Triple-A.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy got regular reports on Otto’s rehab and saw that translate to his first outing Friday.
“He looked poised and he had good command,” Bochy said. “He located well. Nice job by him.”
The injury rehab was somewhat isolating, Otto said, but it was broken up by the birth of his son. Now’s he grateful to be back in Arlington.
“I felt very grateful to be around those guys (in Arizona) every day,” Otto said. “Our rehab staff did a great job of keeping things light, but also making sure we got our work in.”
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