Texas Rangers hitting the reset button with Jonathan Hernandez

Jacob deGrom news notwithstanding, it seems everything is turning out aces for the Texas Rangers these days. The club that couldn’t even sniff .500 a season ago, is now challenging 100-year records in run differential. What a difference a year makes.

Even significant injuries to their two best (and most expensive) players (the aforementioned deGrom and Corey Seager) couldn’t slow them down. The Texas Rangers just kept humming to the best record in the AL West. And now with Seager back, they lay claim to the top spot in multiple MLB power rankings.

Their starting rotation has been elite. Their offense has been elite. Even their coaching has been elite. About the only thing going wrong for the Rangers these days is the performance of a couple key pitchers in the bullpen, namely Jonathan Hernandez.

The Texas Rangers are taking the time to let Jonathan Hernandez get right because they will need him down the stretch.

If you asked Texas Rangers fans last winter who they thought would be closing for the Rangers this season, many would have likely named Jonathan Hernandez. Hernandez has one of the most talented arms in bullpen. He’s regarded as powerful and has a way of keeping his cool.

He was what Jose Leclerc was supposed to be a season before.

Shots fired?

Hardly. In some ways Leclerc now finds himself as a model for Hernandez to follow. Leclerc has had a bumpy season, and like Hernandez, he needed some rest and a reset to get right. Texas Rangers GM Chris Young even recently pointed to Leclerc as an example to follow in dealing with Hernandez’s recent slump.

After starting the spring hot, Hernandez had cooled. He cooled so much, the Rangers had to send him down to Triple-A Round Rock this week.

"“It’s time for Jonathan to get into a more relaxed situation,” Texas manager Bruce Botchy said of the move. “He was just not the same Jonathan we know or saw in spring training and the first three weeks of the season.”"

Speaking on 105.3 The Fan, Chris Young called Hernandez “a high priority.” He explained how he wants to get the most out of his reliever. When asked about trades he discussed how maximizing the current bullpen is of high priority.

"“When you lose confidence, it’s hard to reset mechanically and mentally up there,” Botchy said. “We really believe with his stuff he can help us up here. It’s not uncommon for this to happen.”"

The Rangers are normalizing the situation because optioning young players is a normal thing in MLB. Everyone needs a reset from time to time and right now it’s time for Hernandez to catch his breath and clear his mind.

The Texas Rangers are taking a calm and cool approach to many things this summer. They have time to tinker before the trade deadline and appear determined to use that time to its fullest.