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Top Kevin Jepsen News
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Kevin Jepsen: Let go Friday
Jepsen was released Friday after refusing a minor-league assignment, John Blake of the Texas Rangers reports.
Jepsen was designated for assignment Monday, and he'll look to catch on elsewhere after being cut. He accrued a 5.94 ERA and 1.56 WHIP with eight strikeouts across 16.2 innings with the Rangers this season.
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Rangers' Kevin Jepsen: Dropped by Texas
Jepsen was designated for assignment Monday.
Jepsen struggled greatly through 16.2 innings for the Rangers this season, posting a 5.94 ERA and an even worse 7.46 FIP. He walked more batters (11) than he struck out (eight). The 33-year-old hasn't posted an ERA below 5.90 since 2015, so the odds of him getting picked up by another team aren't particularly high. In a corresponding move, Matt Bush was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock.
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Rangers' Kevin Jepsen: Picks up second hold
Jepsen retired the side in order, striking out one, to register his second hold of the season in Sunday's 7-4 win over the Mariners.
It was a tight, one-run game when Jepsen came on the face some of the Mariners' most dangerous hitters -- Jean Segura and Mitch Haniger -- and allowed no runs for the ninth time in 11 appearances. He's settling into an eighth-inning setup role for the Rangers and has a 1.69 ERA over 10.2 innings. Should there be any need to move Keone Kela out of the closer's role, Jepsen would be considered as a potential replacement.
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Rangers' Kevin Jepsen: Next in line for saves
Jepsen will be behind Keone Kela for save chances to begin the season, Levi Weaver of The Athletic Dallas reports.
A non-roster invitee to major-league camp, Jepsen turned in a stellar spring, striking out nine without a walk in 10.2 innings. His contract was officially selected Thursday. As Weaver puts it, "It's [Kela's job] until he can't, and then it's Jepsen." Alex Claudio will also be in the mix for occasional opportunities, but with Jepsen entering Opening Day as the next man up behind Kela -- who has dealt with injuries issues throughout his young career -- there will likely be many in AL-only leagues scrambling to add him to their rosters.
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Rangers' Kevin Jepsen: Mentioned as closer option
Manager Jeff Banister included Jepsen when talking about his options to close games, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports. "We have a couple of guys we are comfortable closing out a game for us," the manager said. "[Keone] Kela, [Kevin] Jepsen, [Jake] Diekman ... these guys have shown the ability to close games for us. We have some options available to us."
Banister also mentioned Alex Claudio, the man who finished last season as the closer, but would like to use him up and down the inning spectrum. Jepsen, 33, appears to be on the outside of that group, but he did save 22 games in 2015 and 2016 for the Rays and Twins. The non-roster invitee was a pleasant surprise this spring, allowing two runs on five hits with no walks and nine strikeouts over 10.2 innings. The bullpen was a disaster in 2017, so anyone who gets outs consistently will pitch high-leverage situations.
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Rangers' Kevin Jepsen: Set to make Opening Day roster
Jepsen will make the Rangers' Opening Day roster, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
Jepsen joined the Rangers as a non-roster invitee in December. The team will need to clear a spot on the 40-man roster to add him, but he appears to have made the team. The 33-year-old righty hasn't appeared in the majors since 2016, when he posted a 5.98 ERA in 49.2 innings for the Twins and Rays. He'll fill a low-leverage role for the Rangers this season and is unlikely to have a significant fantasy impact.
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Rangers' Kevin Jepsen: Makes back-to-back appearances
Jepsen allowed one hit in a scoreless inning of relief in Tuesday's game against the White Sox.
The appearance marked the first time this spring the Rangers used Jepsen on back-to-back days, a signal that manager Jeff Banister is buying into the 33-year-old non-roster invitee. He's allowed four hits and one run over 9.1 innings in the Cactus League. The Rangers had a league-worst 6.06 ERA in the sixth inning and tied for 21st with a 4.94 ERA in the seventh last season. Banister is looking for relievers that can get outs on the way to putting a game into the hands of a closer. This is where Jepsen may be able to help.
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Rangers' Kevin Jepsen: Retires all four batters faced Friday
Jepsen struck out three and retired all four men faced in Friday's game against Seattle.
Jepsen hasn't walked a batter this spring over 7.1 innings and has allowed just one run on two hits while striking out seven. In camp on a non-roster invitation, the 33-year-old is making a case to break camp with a spot on the 25-man roster.
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Rangers' Kevin Jepsen: Gets spring training invite from Texas
Jepsen signed a minor-league deal with the Rangers on Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training.
Jepsen took awhile to catch on in 2017, but eventually made his way to Washington, where he struck out 11 batters per nine innings with its Triple-A affiliate. Though a 5.32 ERA at that level isn't anything to write home about, the Rangers saw enough potential to give the right-hander an opportunity to compete for a role in the bullpen.
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Kevin Jepsen: Signs deal with Nationals
Jepsen agreed to a deal with Washington on Thursday, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.
Jepsen will provide some depth to the bullpen by signing a minor-league deal with the team. The veteran reliever was released by Arizona prior to Opening Day, and had accumulated a 5.98 ERA with a 35:21 K:BB during the 2016 season. Jepsen was much better in both 2014 and 2015 (posting a combined ERA under 2.50), but it's likely that the right-hander is rusty and will need time in the minors before earning the opportunity to appear in high-leverage situations with the big-league club.
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Kevin Jepsen: Released by Diamondbacks
Jepsen was released by the Diamondbacks on Saturday, MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reports.
The 32-year-old reliever posted a 12.27 ERA in 3.2 innings this spring, so it's no surprise that he was cut loose. It's possible that he'll catch on elsewhere, but it's hard to see him earning high-leverage innings anytime soon.
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Diamondbacks' Kevin Jepsen: Signs minor-league deal with Arizona
Jepsen signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks on Monday, MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reports.
After compiling a 2.33 ERA across 69.2 innings in 2015, Jepsen fell apart completely while splitting last season between the Twins and Rays. In addition to seeing his strikeout rate drop to 6.3 K/9, Jepsen served up a whopping 12 homers in 49.2 innings, which was the chief reason behind his bloated 5.98 ERA. Jepsen's prior success at the MLB level will at least give him an opportunity to audition for a bullpen gig with the Diamondbacks, but at 32 years old, he could already be past his expiration date.
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Kevin Jepsen: Heads into free agency Thursday
Jepsen became a free agent Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Jepsen joined the Rays partway through the season, but his results with Tampa Bay were not much better than those in the Twin Cities. He has a wealth of major league experience and is only a year removed from a very strong campaign, which could help the 32-year-old ink a major league contract over the winter.
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Player Bio
| HT/WT: 6-3, 235 lbs |
| Birthplace: Anaheim, CA |
| Age: 40 |
| Experience: 10 |
| Bats/Throws: R, R |