After Leclerc struck out five of the six batters he faced Sunday, manager Chris Woodward said of Leclerc, "He's real close" to returning to the ninth inning, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Leclerc struck out two and did not allow a hit in one inning as the opener in Friday's 7-3 win over the Cardinals.

Manager Chris Woodward said Leclerc would be used as an opener for the Rangers in Friday's game against the Cardinals, Robert Falkoff of MLB.com reports.

Leclerc did not allow a hit, walked one, and struck out one over two scoreless innings in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to Pittsburgh.

Manager Chris Woodward told MLB Network Radio that the Rangers will use Leclerc in lower-leverage situations to "get him back on track" before returning him to the closer's role.

Manager Chris Woodward acknowledged that it's time to consider alternatives to Leclerc as closer, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Manager Chris Woodward said that Leclerc will remain the Rangers closer despite another shaky outing Sunday against the Astros, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Leclerc gave up one run on one hit with a walk while striking out two to earn his fifth save of the season in a 5-4 win over the Angels on Wednesday.

Leclerc gave up one hit while striking out three to record his third save of the season in Sunday's 8-7 win over the Athletics.

Manager Chris Woodward remains confident in Leclerc after the young closer had two rough outings in Arizona, Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Leclerc allowed one run on one hit, one walk and two hit batsmen over one-third of an inning in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

Leclerc retired two of the four batters he faced in Monday's 3-1 exhibition win over the Dodgers. He gave up one run on two hits and struck out one.

Leclerc allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and three wild pitches while striking out three over an inning Saturday against the White Sox.

The extension Leclerc signed Wednesday with the Rangers is worth $14.75 million over four years and includes club options for 2023 and 2024, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Leclerc and the Rangers agreed to terms Wednesday on a contract extension, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Leclerc was told by manager Chris Woodward on Friday that he will be the Rangers' closer, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Leclerc pitched a scoreless 6.2 innings for Gigantes del Cibao in winter-league ball in the Dominican Republic. He allowed one hit and walked three while striking out eight.

New Rangers manager Chris Woodward told TR Sullivan of MLB.com that Leclerc "might be more a two- or three-inning guy, that can pitch some significant innings for us that gives us more a chance to win more games."

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.Texas Rangers new manager Chris Woodward said that relief pitcher Jose Leclerc isn't locked into the closer role heading into the 2019 season. Woodward likes Leclerc's ability to pitch multiple innings in high-leverage situations instead of solely the ninth inning. The right-hander was one of the most dominant relief pitchers last year, striking out 85 in 57 2/3 innings with just one homer allowed and a .126 average against. He also recorded 12 saves in 59 outings. With Matt Bush likely out at least half the season, there are no better options for the ninth-inning role than Leclerc, though, so we still see him as the favorite for most of the saves next year. However, with his role being unsettled on a rebuilding club, he'll be a low-end fantasy target for saves.

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.Multiple teams have contacted the Texas Rangers about the availability of closer Jose Leclerc this offseason. Leclerc was electric in 2018, posting a 1.56 ERA, finishing with a 21-inning scoreless streak and posting the lowest opponent's batting average (.126) by any reliever. He also finished the year as the closer and had 12 saves and a career-high 13.3 K/9. A source said the Rangers don't want to move Leclerc unless they're overwhelmed by a trade offer. The right-hander has four years of control left before he becomes a free agent, and Texas has considered offering him a contract extension that would buy out a year or two of free agency. Leclerc's fantasy value is clearly on the rise, but his ceiling for saves will be limited on a rebuilding club.

Leclerc was not used to close out Sunday's game against the Padres because he had pitched the previous two days, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Leclerc walked one and struck out two to register his 10th save of the season in Monday's 5-2 win over the Angels.

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Texas Rangers closer Jose Leclerc picked up his ninth save of the 2018 season. Leclerc struck out two batters, with no hits and no walks in the ninth innings of Tuesday's game. This is Leclerc's eighth save in his last eight opportunities, and he has allowed just two hits in his last 43 at-bats. Leclerc is absolutely on fire right now, having not allowed a run in his last 15 innings. The Rangers closer has not been a great position this season, due to the lack of wins, but with 78 strikeouts and a 1.74 ERA in 51 2/3 innings Leclerc is a closer worth adding for the crucial final few weeks of the season

Leclerc earned his sixth save of the season Wednesday, pitching a scoreless ninth inning against Oakland with two strikeouts, two walks and a hit by pitch.

Leclerc finished off the Angels on Sunday, striking out one over a scoreless inning to register his fifth save in a 4-2 win.

Leclerc worked around a leadoff double and struck out two over an inning to record his third save in Thursday's 8-6 win over the Angels.

Leclerc picked up his second save, striking out two over a scoreless inning in Monday's 5-3 win over Arizona.

Leclerc got the save Saturday night against the Orioles, pitching a perfect ninth inning while striking out one. It was his first save of the season.

Leclerc appears to be in line for save opportunities, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Leclerc got out the side in order and picked up his 14th hold of the season in Sunday's 4-3 win over Houston.

Leclerc (1-1) allowed four runs (none earned) on one hit and three walks, picking up the loss against the White Sox on Thursday.

Leclerc has taken on a right-handed setup role in the Rangers' bullpen, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

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Texas Rangers relief pitcher Jose Leclerc threw a clean sixth inning with two strikeouts against the Cleveland Indians. The 24-year-old has now thrown 7 2/3 innings with no runs surrendered on the young season. Aside from the perfect 0.00 ERA, Leclerc's WHIP sits at a sparkling 0.52. On top of that, the youngster has struck out 31 percent of batters while cutting his walk rate in half from last season. Granted, 7 2/3 innings is a very small sample size and Leclerc still sometimes struggles to find the strike zone, but he brings electric stuff that is nearly unhittable when his command is on. While FIP doesn't believe he's quite 0.00 ERA good, it agrees that he's been very good with a 2.28. There's a lot to like here and in case you haven't noticed, the Texas bullpen is in constant flux. With all of the usual suspects having issues at times, it's hard to ignore a young fireballer on a hot streak. Deep leaguers should be adding him immediately, even if it's just for strikeout and ratio help.

Leclerc was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Monday.

Leclerc was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Friday.

The Rangers recalled Leclerc from Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Leclerc was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday.

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To clear room for the returning Martin Perez, the Texas Rangers optioned reliever Jose Leclerc to Triple-A. The 24-year-old has pitched well in 2018, giving up no runs while striking out a batter per inning over three innings. Leclerc was a dark-horse candidate to close games, but he'll make way for the veteran due to his contract still having options available. While at times suffering from control issues, the righty gets plenty of swings and misses and is an interesting name to keep an eye on as the Rangers bullpen continues to take shape. If the in-house options fall flat as they did last season, there's no reason Leclerc couldn't run away with the ninth inning.

Leclerc has made Texas's Opening Day roster, Levi Weaver of The Athletic Dallas reports.

Leclerc worked around two hits and two walks to toss 1.2 scoreless innings in Tuesday's 10-3 loss to the Mariners. He struck out two batters in the relief appearance.

Leclerc failed to record an out and was charged with the loss in Saturday's 7-4 loss to the Angels in 10 innings. He walked all three batters he faced and was charged with three earned runs.

Leclerc recorded two outs and picked up a hold in Monday's 5-3 win over the Angels. He walked three batters during the 29-pitch appearance.

Leclerc walked one batter during a scoreless ninth inning in Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Astros.

Leclerc retired the side in the ninth inning on 19 pitches in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Mariners, collecting a strikeout and inducing a flyout and a popout.

LeClerc worked around a pair of walks with two strikeouts in a scoreless inning to record his second save of the season Sunday against the Rays.

Leclerc faced two batters and picked up his second win of the season in Saturday's 1-0 triumph over the Royals, walking one and striking out the other.

Leclerc didn't pitch in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Angels, but was warming up for a potential save opportunity before Alex Claudio was able to finish out the ninth inning, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

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Rangers relief pitcher Jose Leclerc came on in the eighth inning to protect a 5-4 lead Sunday against the White Sox, but surrendered a two-run homer to Yolmer Sanchez, giving him the blown save and the eventual loss. We can only speculate as to who would have been used in the ninth inning, but it's worth noting that Matt Bush and Ernesto Frieri both recorded scoreless outings prior to the eighth inning, which may give them a leg up in the competition. Leclerc slips to 1-2 with a 3.38 ERA as a result of the loss.

Leclerc (1-2) picked up a loss and a blown save by surrendering two runs on one hit and one walk with one strikeout in one inning Sunday against the White Sox.

Leclerc could be an option to get saves for the Rangers in the short term, following Matt Bush's removal from the closer role Saturday, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.