ARLINGTON -- The Rangers released right-handed reliever Zach McAllister on Monday, narrowing the field for their two remaining bullpen spots to three candidates: righties Connor Sadzeck and Adrian Sampson, and lefty Kyle Bird.

McAllister, 31, appeared in 44 Major League games last season for the Indians and Tigers, posting a 6.20 ERA over 45 innings. He pitched in nine Spring Training games for Texas, with a 3.00 ERA in 12 innings.

“He did everything we asked. It wasn’t a slight on anything he did, we just felt that it didn’t fit,” manager Chris Woodward said. “He had success. I felt like, early, he was way ahead and then his stuff didn’t play the same way. From a consistency standpoint, from the role we were wanting him to have, it just didn’t match up.

“I was intrigued, because his split-finger, early on, was a really different pitch for him that I thought maybe could get him through [lefties and righties]. … It started really well, but he didn’t have the same command as spring went on.”

McAllister’s departure leaves Sadzeck, Sampson and Bird competing for the final roles in an eight-man bullpen. Of those three, only Sadzeck is out of Minor League options.

Left-hander Jeffrey Springs has already been told he’s on the Opening Day roster, so if the Rangers decide to keep Bird, they’ll have two lefties who can be used in multiple-inning roles. Sampson could also be a needed long man in the bullpen after veteran Jason Hammel, who had been given a spot on the club, decided to retire after Spring Training.

“We’re trying to really dig through all the different ways. Some guys have options, some guys don’t, it makes it tough,” Woodward said. “And then you have other guys off waivers at this point, so you have other options to maybe go outside of our own roster, and that presents a whole other dilemma.”

Sampson finished last season in the Rangers’ rotation and had the most impressive spring of the three bullpen candidates, compiling a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings. Bird posted a 5.06 ERA in 10 2/3 innings, and Sadzeck had an 8.59 ERA in 7 1/3 innings.

In Monday night's exhibition against the Indians, Sampson allowed one run on two hits with three strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings, and Bird pitched one inning, walking one.

Gallo ready to go after healthy turn on Monday

After a strained right groin muscle limited Joey Gallo’s workload in the final days of Spring Training, the slugger returned to the lineup for Monday’s exhibition against the Indians, playing center field. He went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts in the Rangers' 10-1 loss.

He said the injury, which nagged him for the final two-plus weeks of Cactus League play, will not be a problem for the opener against the Cubs.

“I’ve been 100 percent for a few days, haven’t felt my groin at all. … It was just a little thing,” Gallo said. “In the season I would have played through it, but in Spring Training, it’s not worth re-injuring it.”

Worth noting

• Righty Edinson Volquez ended an otherwise promising spring on Monday with a rough fourth inning, loading the bases with two walks and a hit batsman before allowing, on his final pitch of the night, a grand slam to Cleveland's No. 9 hitter, Eric Stamets. In all, Volquez yielded five hits, walked three and struck out three in 3 1/3 innings.

“He kind of ran out of gas there in the end, but the first two or three innings were really good -- he looked sharp,” Woodward said.

• First baseman Ronald Guzman launched a tape-measure homer, his team-leading fifth of the spring, to the upper porch in right field in the fifth inning off Indians starter Carlos Carrasco. Guzman hit 16 homers last year in 123 games as a rookie.

Up next

Left-hander Drew Smyly will get his final tuneup of the spring against Indians righty Mike Clevinger on Tuesday at 1:05 p.m. CT. Save for a single Minor League inning last year, Smyly did not pitch the past two seasons after sustaining an elbow injury in March 2017 and undergoing Tommy John surgery four months later.