After Leclerc struck out five of the six batters he faced Sunday, manager Chris Woodward said of Leclerc, "He's real close" to returning to the ninth inning, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
Leclerc has pitched well since his demotion from the closer role in early May, racking up 15 strikeouts across eight innings while allowing just one earned run. While he has also walked four in that span, he has not issued a free pass in each of his last three outings, amounting to 4.1 innings. Current closer Chris Martin blew the save Sunday against the Cardinals and allowed an earned run Friday night, though the impending return of Shawn Kelley (neck) could keep the saves situation murky in Texas for a while longer.