Ryan on Oswalt: “I Don't Know If There's An Issue There Or Not”

Roy Oswalt caused something of a stir when he refused to go out for a third inning of relief work against the Royals on Sunday, a game the Rangers eventually lost in extra innings. Whether or not this will prove to be a real controversy, no one seems to know at this point, but most believe Oswalt to be less than content with a bullpen role. And he may be, but according to team president Nolan Ryan, there’s a good chance the veteran is there to stay.

“Roy has been very effective out of the bullpen. I’m not going to go on record and saying I think he’s one of our relievers. Under this circumstance, he’s been very effective there,” Ryan told “Galloway and Company” on ESPN Radio 103.3 FM, via the Dallas Morning News. “If Ron (Washington) and Mike (Maddux) feel like that’s where we need the most help then I could see him staying in that role. If they need him in the starting rotation, I would say that’s a possibility. As far as where Roy’s mind is as far as not wanting to be in the bullpen, that’ll just have to be addressed.”

As for what happened on Sunday, Ryan basically echoed the thoughts of manager Ron Washington, who said earlier this week that he was unsure if Oswalt simply didn’t want to go out for another inning on Sunday, or felt he had nothing left in the tank.

“I don’t know if there is an issue there or not or if Roy just didn’t feel like he was going to be effective,” Ryan said. “I try not to get involved in those things and let them work things out because that really needs to be done within the ball club. He hadn’t been pitching out of the bullpen in relief. Maybe it’s the fact that he hasn’t been a guy that’s been used out of the bullpen much in his career at all. I don’t know. It’s hard to say. I just felt that I didn’t need to get involved in that.”