The Texas Rangers are bringing back longtime reliever Matt Bush on a minor league contract, according to the team's transaction log.
Bush was released by the Milwaukee Brewers on June 3, freeing up the 37-year-old pitcher to pick his next destination. Bush was part of the Rangers organization from 2016 until 2022, when he was traded to the Brewers in exchange for left-hander Antoine Kelly and utility man Mark Mathias.
The Rangers dealt Mathias to the Pittsburgh Pirates in March, while the 23-year-old Kelly remains in Double-A with the Frisco RoughRiders.
Bush has had a long journey over the course of his 20-year professional career, which began when the San Diego Padres picked him No. 1 overall in the 2004 MLB Draft. Bush was arrested on suspicion of felony assault, misdemeanor trespass, disorderly conduct and underage drinking a few weeks later.
Starting out as a shortstop, Bush struggled at the plate from 2004 to 2006. The Padres moved him to the mound in 2007, then traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays for cash considerations in February 2009. The Blue Jays released Bush a month later after he allegedly threw a baseball at a woman's head at a party.
Bush did not play at all in 2009, and he signed a minor league deal with the Rays in 2010. Injuries limited Bush to 13.2 innings that year, and after he posted a 4.83 ERA in 36 games in 2011, he spent the entire 2012 season on the restricted list following a drunk driving incident.
The Rangers took a flier on Bush in 2015, signing him to another minor league contract two months after he was released from prison.
Bush made it to the majors in 2016, debuting as a 30-year-old rookie, and he went 7-2 with a 2.48 ERA across 61.2 innings of work. He remained a big part of Texas' bullpen in 2017, but was demoted to Triple-A in 2018.
A late-season UCL injury and the ensuing surgery kept Bush off the mound until June 2019. A month after he returned, Bush was shut down again and underwent Tommy John surgery.
Three games into his 2021 major league campaign, Bush was placed on the 60-day injured list with a flexor strain.
Bush returned to the Rangers in 2022, going 2-1 with a 2.95 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 36.2 innings. Texas traded him to Milwaukee in August, though, and he posted an 0-2 record and 4.30 ERA with the Brewers to round out the season.
Milwaukee brought Bush back on a one-year, $1.85 million contract in November. However, Bush owned a 9.58 ERA when the Brewers designated him for assignment on July 1, and he was released two days later.
For his career, Bush is 12-11 with a 3.75 ERA, but he went 12-7 with a 3.34 ERA in his 180 games with the Rangers.
It remains to be seen if or when Bush will get another call to rejoin Texas' major league roster.
The Rangers will return from the All-Star break for a home game against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on Bally Sports and MLB.TV.
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