Bartolo Colon inked a new minor-league deal with the Texas Rangers on Monday, and now, fans know when to expect him back on the mound.
The ageless wonder is tentatively slated to make his regular-season debut with the Rangers in a spot start against the Oakland Athletics on April 2, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Colon, 44, agreed to sign a minor-league contract with the Rangers in February. He went on to make five spring starts and looked decent, all things considered, striking out 10 with a 3.00 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. Despite this, Big Sexy was released as the Rangers finalized it's Opening Day roster, but was brought back on another minor-league deal on Monday, along with third baseman Trevor Plouffe.
The reason Colon and Plouffe were signed, released, and brought back can be attributed to the league's retention bonus. If a player with at least six years of service time is signed to a minor-league contract in the offseason and does not make the 25-man roster, they choose between a $100,000 bonus or an immediate unconditional release if they're left off the active roster prior to June 1.
"He's a veteran guy; you know what you're going to get," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels told Dave Sessions of MLB.com after the move was announced. "He's going to throw strikes, keep guys off-balance."
Daniels added that Colon's spot start will be designed to give southpaw Mike Minor an added day of rest.
It's unclear how long Colon expects to factor into the Rangers' plans, but considering the team is expected to deploy a six-man rotation, at the very least, Colon will have a chance to prove his worth early on. Once he takes the bump, it would mark his 21st season in the majors, with Texas the 11th team he's played for during that time.
