Rangers Giving Jackson a Try at Relief

Luke Jackson has spent a few seasons in the Texas Rangers organization as a promising prospect in the starting rotation, where he currently is holding a place for Triple-A Round Rock.

The 23-year-old struggled in his first couple of seasons of pro ball, but really started figuring things out in 2013 when he combined to go 11-4 with a 2.04 ERA in High-A and Double-A. He started 2014 as a starter in Double-A and excelled again before being bumped up to Triple-A Round Rock, where he suffered some growing pains with a 10.35 ERA in 40 innings of work.

He's seen those same struggles carry over to this season in Round Rock, and now the Rangers are going to give him a try as a relief pitcher, flipping places with Phil Klein on the Round Rock staff. In Jackson's five starts this year, he's 2-1 with a 5.64 ERA, but now he'll have a shot to make an impression and rediscover his prior dominance as a reliever pitching in short spurts.

“In Luke’s case, we have seen him perform at a very high level in short outings and we want to see if that is sustainable,” Rangers Director of Player Development Mike Daly told The Dallas Morning News.

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