Brock

Burke

The Angels picked up both Burke and former St. Louis reliever Nick Robertson off waivers Tuesday. Burke provides some left-handed depth in the bullpen, but he’s been awful in his limited sample in the majors this year with a 9.22 ERA and 2.20 WHIP.

Burke, 28, has struggled to a 9.22 ERA and 2.20 WHIP over 13 2/3 innings so far. He’s not long removed from being a strong option out of the bullpen, so another team could show interest in the southpaw on the waiver wire.

Burke is back to take the roster spot of Jacob Latz with Latz now on the injured list with forearm tightness. Burke was once among the better relievers on the Texas roster, but he’s struggled with injuries and had just a 7.56 ERA in nine appearances before being demoted at the end of June.

The move is hardly a stunner, but it’s still kind of remarkable; it’s the first time since Burke debuted on Aug. 20, 2019 that he’s been optioned to the minors. Burke missed two months this season with a self-inflicted break of his non-pitching hand. He pitched well in his first two appearances after returning earlier this month, but he walked three of five batters on Tuesday and gave up two runs in an inning Thursday, leaving him with a 7.56 ERA in nine appearances overall.

The 27-year-old southpaw has been shelved since mid-April when he broke his right hand while punching a wall in the Rangers’ clubhouse. Burke has made just five appearances with the Rangers this season, posting a troublesome 15.00 ERA, 3.33 WHIP and a 5/1 K/BB ratio across three innings of work.

Burke is going to be require several weeks of rehab appearances as he works his way back after fracturing his non-throwing hand last month.

Burke broke his non-throwing hand after he punched a clubhouse wall following an appearance against the Astros last Friday. The 27-year-old southpaw will now be sidelined for at least the next couple months.

The positive news here is that he broke his non-throwing hand, so it’s unlikely the injury will impact his on-field performance once he’s cleared to return. The 27-year-old southpaw suffered the injury punching a clubhouse wall following Friday’s relief appearance against the Astros.

The 27-year-old southpaw had been projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $1.1 million through arbitration, so this appears to be a fair deal for both parties. Burke made a career-high 53 appearances with the Rangers in 2023, compiling a 4.37 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and a 52/9 K/BB ratio over 59 2/3 innings during the regular season. He’ll function in a middle relief role for the defending World Series champs in 2024.

Scherzer injured his back during Monday night’s start in Game 3 against the Diamondbacks — having to exit after three scoreless frames. He could have potentially taken the hill again in Game 7 had their been one in the Series, but now he’ll be shelved for the remainder of the season. Burke will add a fresh arm to the Rangers’ bullpen, but it’s unlikely that he’ll see much action.