ARLINGTON -- Dane Dunning was the Rangers Pitcher of the Year in 2023, when he posted a 3.70 ERA across 172 2/3 innings as a swingman for the eventual World Series champs.

On Saturday, Dunning was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock for the first time in his Rangers tenure following an outing against the A’s in which he gave up five runs over three innings in a 9-2 Texas loss.

“I think, as much as anything, his stuff's probably been a tick down and to go with that, he hasn't quite been as sharp with his command,” manager Bruce Bochy said after the Oakland loss. “He's done a terrific job there [for us] and earlier, we gave him a break, and thought he was ready. I thought tonight at times, it was good, but he’s still not where he was.”

Dunning opened the season in the Rangers rotation with a trio of veterans in Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle on the injured list until the second half. Through the end of May, Dunning posted a 3.94 ERA across his first nine starts.

He then surrendered 11 runs in 13 1/3 innings in his first three starts of June before transitioning to the bullpen when Scherzer returned from his first injured list stint of the season.

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Since June 25, he’s posted a 6.61 ERA in 12 games, including two spot starts. In those 31 1/3 innings, opposing hitters were slashing .336/.385/.537 off the right-hander.

When talking about players getting sent down, general manager Chris Young has often said that it’s a performance-based game. That seems to be the case with Dunning, who has yet to recapture what made him such an important part of the Rangers' postseason run in 2023.