CHICAGO — Texas Rangers right-hander Jake Odorizzi will miss the rest of the season after undergoing shoulder debridement surgery, general manager Chris Young announced Friday.
Odorizzi, 33, was acquired from the Atlanta Braves for left-hander Kolby Allard in November but won’t throw a pitch for the Rangers in 2023. His shoulder ailment came up during winter workouts and never subsided.
“As we sit today, it’s a blow,” Young said. “But we knew we’d go through something like this. … We were counting on him to provide meaningful innings this season. We’re not going to get that, but this is an opportunity for others to step up and take those innings.”
Young mentioned Dane Dunning and Cole Ragans as pitchers who have already come through in Odorizzi’s absence. The Rangers will need others to step up as well, Young said.
“The beauty of our staff right now is we do have pretty good depth,” Young said. “Our hope is more depth develops in the minor league system this year.”
Odorizzi has mostly been a starter in his career but was slated to be a swingman for the Rangers. The team fortified its staff this winter, adding Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney.
Odorizzi is scheduled to be a free agent after this season, so it’s possible he never throws a pitch for Texas.
“Having gone through shoulder injuries in my career, there’s no rhyme or reason to when it hurt or what causes it,” Young said. “I think it’s more a chronic injury [with Odorizzi] than an acute injury, and for whatever reason, this offseason is when it took a turn for the worse.”