Rangers' Banister: Hamels, Fister, Moore to pitch on regular rest in 6-man rotation

The Texas Rangers and starting pitcher Cole Hamels may have reached a compromise.

The Rangers have been toying with the idea of a six-man rotation this spring, and it hasn't exactly been met with enthusiasm from the left-hander, who thinks expanded rotations "aren't a part of baseball." However, manager Jeff Banister told the Star-Telegram's Jeff Wilson the team's modified rotation won't impact the pitching schedules of the rotation's top names.

Hamels, Doug Fister, and Matt Moore will apparently pitch on regular rest throughout the season, while others in the rotation will see more measured workloads.

"(Mike) Minor and (Matt) Bush are two guys that they're working on a little different rest period right now," Banister said. "We've got a ways to go. It's pretty fluid right now."

The approach is designed to ease the two hurlers into their desired roles as starters. Minor worked exclusively out of the bullpen in 2017 with the Kansas City Royals after shoulder injuries kept him out of baseball for the previous two seasons. He was previously used as a starter throughout his tenure with the Atlanta Braves. Meanwhile, Bush has strictly been a reliever since his return to baseball with the Rangers in 2016 after his release from prison.

The sixth starter will likely be Jesse Chavez or lefty Martin Perez, who's working his way back from breaking his right elbow at his Venezuela ranch in December. Bartolo Colon is also an option if he breaks camp with the team.