Rangers place Volquez on injured list due to elbow sprain

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Texas Rangers have put pitcher Edinson Volquez on the 10-day injured list because of a sprained right elbow.

The Rangers made the move before Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels and called up pitcher Kyle Bird from Triple-A Nashville.

Volquez missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August 2017. The right-hander went 3 2/3 innings in Thursday’s 11-4 victory over Angels as he allowed two runs on four hits with four walks and three strikeouts.

The 35-year old Volquez — who pitched a no-hitter with the Miami Marlins in 2017 — had no record in two starts with a 7.04 ERA. Manager Chris Woodward said that Volquez told him before the game that something didn’t feel right but that he could pitch.

“He said nothing was painful but he didn’t feel right. The only pitch that didn’t work was his curveball,” Woodward said. “You could tell something wasn’t right though. His velocity was down and he had erratic fastball command. He gave us almost four when almost anyone would have bowed out after a third of an inning.”

Woodward said that Adrian Sampson was a possibility to move up into the rotation. The right-hander went six innings in relief against Houston on Monday and allowed a run on four hits in a loss.

Bird was on the Rangers’ opening day roster and made two appearances during the opening series against the Cubs. The left-hander went an inning in both games and didn’t allow a run.