In a series of moves announced Wednesday, the Texas Rangers activated primary closer Joe Barlow from the 15-day injured list and designated veteran right-hander Garrett Richards for assignment.
The right-hander Barlow, 26, had been out for just over one month because of a blister on his right index finger. He pitched in four combined games at Triple-A Round Rock and Double-A Frisco, putting up 5 1/3 scoreless innings over his final three appearances.
Barlow, 26, is 3-1 with a career-best 13 saves and a 3.26 ERA in 30 bullpen outings this season, his second in the majors since debuting in 2021 with Texas.
Richards, 34, has pitched mostly out of the bullpen for the Rangers this season, his 12th in the big leagues and first with the Rangers. He has gone 1-1 with a 5.27 ERA in 32 appearances (two starts) over 42 2/3 innings and the team has seven days to either trade, release or outright him to the minor leagues.
For his career, Richards is 55-50 with a 3.87 ERA in 259 games (152 starts) with the Los Angeles Angels (2012-18), San Diego Padres (2019-20), Boston Red Sox (2021) and Rangers.
In addition, the Rangers also moved outfielder Kole Calhoun to Round Rock in order to begin a rehabilitation assignment as he recovers from an injured right heel -- an ailment which has sidelined him for about two weeks. Calhoun, 34, is hitting .211 with 11 homers and 43 RBIs in 97 games with Texas this season.
Left-hander Matt Moore, who was placed on the paternity list on Sunday, was transferred to the bereavement list on Wednesday. Moore, 33, is 4-2 with a 2.00 ERA in 42 relief outings in 2022 with Texas.
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