Edinson Volquez said Saturday that the 2019 season will be his last in the majors but that he is working hard to try to return to the mound for the Texas Rangers before the season ends.
The right-hander has been out since suffering a right elbow strain on April 5. He threw a bullpen before the Rangers’ game on Saturday against the Oakland Athletics.
“I don’t want to go out like this,” Volquez, 36, told reporters. “If there is a chance, I can do it for two months or two weeks, why not. I’m not doing this to try and get a contract for next year. I just want to prove it to myself. If I can come out of the bullpen for the Rangers, that would be great.”
The Rangers signed Volquez in 2017 while he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. He missed all of last season before returning to the majors this season and making two starts before injuring his elbow in April.
Volquez is 93-87 with a 4.43 ERA in 14 major league seasons. He was selected to his only All-Star Game in 2008 when he won a career-best 17 games and finished fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting for the Cincinnati Reds. He won a World Series title with the Kansas City Royals in 2015.