Jonathan Hernandez

Hernandez returned in July after a lengthy recovery from April 2021 Tommy John surgery. The right-hander posted a near-20 percent walk rate in 16 minor-league rehab outings, but Texas felt he was ready to go and immediately featured him in high-leverage. The 26-year-old recorded his first of four saves in just his fifth appearance of the season, but only spent about two weeks closing before Texas turned to Jose Leclerc. Hernandez reached triple-digits with his fastball, but could only muster a 20.6% strikeout rate and walks were still an issue (17 in 30.1 innings) upon returning to the big leagues. He makes up for his lack of strikeouts with plenty of groundballs (52.8% for his career), but the number of baserunners he allows (career 1.31 WHIP) isn't suited for closing.

Hernandez was electric coming out of the Rangers' bullpen in 2020, posting a solid 2.90 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with 31 punchouts over 31 innings. He also finished with a 5-1 record along with five holds. Hernandez's nasty sinker makes it extremely difficult for hitters to lift the ball out of the ballpark, and this was evident by just two home runs surrendered last season. The 24-year-old's command is also something to note, finishing the year with a 3.9 K/BB. The youngster easily fits into the class of upcoming elite relievers, and he should be in a position to receive plenty of high-leverage opportunities in 2021, even with Jose Leclerc returning from a shoulder injury and factoring into the mix near the back end of the bullpen.