CHICAGO - The Texas Rangers took a "blow" to the pitching staff with right-hander Jake Odorizzi set to miss the entire 2023 MLB season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder.
General manager Chris Young said before Friday's 2-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs that Odorizzi was expected to be a "valuable" member of the pitching staff.
“Jake, with his experience, we were counting on him to, whether as a starting pitcher or a valuable member of our bullpen, provide meaningful innings this season,” Young said, according to MLB.com. “We're not going to get that, obviously. I also say this is an opportunity for others to step up and take those innings. We've seen that already with Dane Dunning and Cole Ragans.
"I think the beauty of our staff right now is we do have pretty good depth. Our hope is that more depth materializes or develops in the Minor League system this year. As we sit today, it's a blow, but we knew we'd go through something like this.”
Odorizzi was acquired from the Atlanta Braves this offseason in exchange for Kolby Allard. The Braves also sent over $10 million to cover part of his $12.5 million salary. Allard is also on the 60-day injured list.
The righty came into camp feeling sore and having shoulder fatigue. Young mentioned before Opening Day that Odorizzi was having trouble isolating the pain.
This injury is different than the leg issue he dealt with last year. He wasn't acquired injured and passed his medical checks with the team prior to finalization of the trade.
Odorizzi is a free agent after this season, so it is very likely that he won't throw a single pitch for Texas. The right-hander was a $2.5 million gamble for the Rangers that just didn't pay off.
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