With Derek Holland set to return to the Texas Rangers' rotation on Wednesday afternoon after a four-month absence, Tuesday night could very well be the final start of the season for rookie Chi Chi Gonzalez.
And the Rangers wouldn't have it any other way.
The team will likely send Gonzalez back to the minor leagues on Wednesday when they activate Holland from the 60-day disabled list, and the young hurler will then have a chance to get some more Triple-A outings under his belt before a likely September call-up to the Rangers as nothing more than an extra bullpen arm.
That is, of course, if everything works out for the Rangers.
That means no more pitching injuries in their new rotation of Holland, Martin Perez, Yovani Gallardo, Colby Lewis and Cole Hamels. It also means the Rangers are in the heat of a playoff race and aren't in any position to get young guys a "taste" of the big leagues in September, opting instead to just let them observe.
The way the Rangers have handled this will also give every Rangers starter an extra day of rest when they could've just started Holland on Tuesday and been in regular rotation after that.
It was really a bit of master-planning from the Rangers in how they handled it, and they'll hope for one last good outing from Gonzalez after his recent struggles.
