One piece of the 2020 bullpen has been secured. The Rangers signed Edinson Volquez to a minor league contract with the understanding he will pitch out of the bullpen next season.

According to Volquez, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels talked him out of retiring and into coming back to mentor the young kids in the pen.

Sort of like Jeff Mathis did as a catcher. And, with Volquez’s .091 lifetime batting average, he can hit about as well as Mathis.

Last year, in four games as a starter, Volquez was 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA. He hurt his arm, missed most of the season, but came back in September to pitch in relief, appearing in seven games without giving up an earned run.

Baseball is tough to walk away from. A player hates thinking he walked away when he still had something left and Volquez said he was throwing 95 with no pain when he came back.

Welcome back, Edinson. Here’s hoping that while you return, the pain in your arm doesn’t.