Joe Barlow Missed Save Opportunity on Wednesday With Concerning Injury

The Texas Rangers sparked confusion in fans Wednesday night when Matt Bush was given the nod over closer Joe Barlow in a save opportunity against the Los Angeles Angels. Bush ended up blowing the lead, giving up the game-tying two-run homer in the ninth inning before the Rangers eventually won on a walk-off in the tenth.

It turns out Barlow was sidelined due to a potentially concerning injury.

Joe Barlow Injury

Barlow is dealing with a "hot spot," which is the beginning of a blister, and the Rangers didn't want to take any chances by aggravating the area and using the 26-year-old on Wednesday. One blister isn't the end of the world, but they've apparently been a season-long issue for Barlow, which makes it worrisome if the issue will cause him to miss more time down the line.

Barlow has been nothing but dependable in a closing role for the Rangers this season. He's converted all seven of his save opportunities so far, pitching to a 1.35 ERA and racking up 15 strikeouts across 13.1 innings of work.

Given how Bush couldn't close things out, it's clear how much the Rangers need Barlow back at 100%. Hopefully an extra day or two of rest and treatment can help him return to the bullpen.

Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.