Notes: Kennedy's comfort; roster shuffle

Coming out of the bullpen makes Ian Kennedy feel young again.

Interacting with the Rangers’ young pitching staff and free of the physical demands of 100 pitches a start, Kennedy doesn’t feel all of his 36 years every night, the right-hander said on Friday during a Zoom session.

A starter turned closer, Kennedy notched his first save as a member of the Rangers on Tuesday against the Blue Jays. Then he got his second the very next day.

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Kennedy recorded 30 saves for the Royals in 2019, his first year as a closer.

When he initially moved to the bullpen, he did it because he knew how difficult it is to be a starter for an entire Major League career with all the innings starting pitchers throw. Kennedy wanted to limit the toll on his body.

“When I was starting, it probably took just about every bit of those days in between starts [to recharge],” Kennedy said. “You feel like you got hit by a truck, and now it's just a little different. Your body feels better.

“The big part has been moving to the bullpen. You're just training a little different. You're throwing a little different, and it's actually brought up the velocity a little bit. Just elevated everything.”

The youth of the Rangers’ bullpen has also done its job keeping Kennedy young. Kennedy is the oldest pitcher on the Rangers' entire staff, just beating out Matt Bush at 35 and Kyle Gibson at 33.

After a Spring Training in which players were separated into pods because of COVID-19 protocols, Kennedy said he’s just now seeing some of his bullpen mates throw. And he’s starting to get the vibe of the club’s bullpen during games.

“I like to watch, and if there's any questions, we have such a young group that we bounce off ideas, or they'll ask me or [Bush] different things,” Kennedy said. “That's what I like the most, bouncing off ideas, learning different pitches and something I can help with. I think that's what makes the game a lot of fun.”

Something Kennedy especially likes about coming out of the bullpen is the availability to get in the game whenever the team needs him.

“Maybe it's just a change of scenery, like more of being part of the everyday grind with the position players and being part of the everyday preparation [of] helping the team win that day,” Kennedy said. “That’s kind of fun. Just as a starter, you can't help, you can't do anything that day. All you're doing is just cheering and being a cheerleader. But in the bullpen, you have every bit of chance to throw that day."

Roster moves
The Rangers made multiple roster moves on Friday, including two additions to the injured list. Bush and utility infielder Brock Holt were placed on the 10-day IL following minor injuries.

Holt suffered a right hamstring strain Tuesday. The right-handed Bush is dealing with right elbow inflammation after pitching back-to-back days.

Holt’s injury doesn’t appear to be serious, but the organization doesn’t yet know the extent of Bush’s elbow issue. Bush has had two elbow surgeries since 2018, and the Rangers are being cautious with him.

“His arm didn't feel good,” Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. “We haven't fully evaluated it, and we're going to do that … and figure out what the extent of it is. … Putting him on the IL just protects him. If nothing's there and it's not that big of an issue, then 10 days from now, it'll be fine.”

Left-hander Brett Martin was activated from the 10-day IL and infielder Anderson Tejeda was recalled from the alternate training site.

Martin pitched only three games during Spring Training because of a back injury. He also pitched one inning with three strikeouts in the Rangers’ loss to the Astros at the alternate training site on Wednesday night.

Tejeda, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Rangers’ No. 11 prospect, broke into the Majors last season and batted .253 with three home runs and eight RBIs in 23 games. He was in the starting lineup at third base against the Padres on Friday but played mostly second base and shortstop this spring.