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Richards cleared waivers and was released by the Rangers on Tuesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. Richards was designated for assignment by Texas last week and is now on the open market. The veteran right-hander has a 5.27 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 36:13 K:BB across 42.2 innings this season, and he's likely to generate some interest in free agency.
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The Rangers designated Richards for assignment Wednesday. Texas elected to cut bait with Richards after he allowed 15 runs (14 earned) in 11 innings over his most recent seven appearances out of the bullpen. The 34-year-old right-hander will have the ability to decline an outright assignment to Triple-A Round Rock if he clears waivers, so it's possible his time in the Rangers organization is over. That being said, Richards may struggle to catch on elsewhere in the majors again in 2022 after he turned in a 5.27 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 36:13 K:BB across 42.2 innings with Texas.
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Richards earned the save against the Athletics on Wednesday, retiring the only batter he faced on one pitch. Jon Gray and Matt Bush combined for eight scoreless frames for Texas, and Jose Leclerc was brought in to mop up a five-run ninth-inning lead. Leclerc couldn't accomplish the task, however, serving up a pair of homers and allowing the tying run to come to the plate with two outs. Richards was subsequently summoned from the bullpen, and he got Stephen Vogt to fly out to end the threat. The save was Richards' first of the season and sixth in his 12-year big-league career. Brett Martin is the favorite for saves for Texas at the moment, though Richards has pitched well enough of late to earn more high-leverage opportunities -- over his past four games, he has two holds in addition to the save.
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Richards (0-1) took the loss Friday as the Rangers fell to Atlanta 6-3, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk in an inning of work. Getting the nod as the opener, Richards served up a two-run shot to Austin Riley, and Texas was never able to climb out of the early hole. The 33-year-old righty has had a shaky start to the season that includes a 16.2 percent walk rate in nine innings, and Richards should remain in a low-leverage role until he begins to turn things around.
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Richards will serve as the opener ahead of primary pitcher Spencer Howard during Friday's game against Atlanta, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports. Richards has struck out seven in seven scoreless innings over his last five appearances, and he'll work as an opener for the second time in his last three outings. He pitched two innings as an opener against the Athletics on Sunday and figures to have a similar workload Friday.
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Stats
| Year | Team | APP | GS | INN | W | L | S | K | BBI | HA | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | TEX | 32 | 2 | 42.7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 13 | 44 | 5.27 | 1.33 |
Last 7 Games
| DATE | Opp | W | L | S | INN | HA | ERA | BBI | K | WHIP |
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