Chippewa Falls native Cody to start season at AAA for Texas Rangers

Cody was listed as a part of the AAA Round Rock Express “break camp” roster by the Rangers on Wednesday, meaning the pitcher will start the season one level away from the big league team. The 28-year-old Cody pitched 12 games for Round Rock in 2022 as he worked his way back from a shoulder injury. Cody logged a 3.66 earned run average in 19²/³ innings pitched, including two starts where he struck out 21 batters against just five walks.

The former sixth-round draft pick is aiming to get back to the major leagues after making his MLB debut in 2020 where he posted a 1-1 record with a 1.59 ERA in 22²/³ innings across eight appearances, including five starts. Cody earned his first victory with the Rangers on Sept. 20, 2020, against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, striking out five while allowing one run in five innings pitched. He was named the Rangers September Player of the Month by the writers and broadcasters covering the team and coming out of spring training earned a spot on the Opening Day roster in 2021.

Cody posted a 7.94 ERA and 0-2 record in seven appearances before being placed in the injured list in late April with right shoulder inflammation. Later in the season, the Rangers announced Cody had undergone debridement surgery on the labrum in his right shoulder and would miss the entire 2022 season. He returned in the final months of last year and received a non-roster invite to spring training.

In four games this spring with the Rangers, Cody had an 0-1 record and a 9.00 ERA in four innings with three strikeouts and one save. Cody threw three scoreless 1-inning outings early in camp before allowing four earned runs in suffering a loss to the Colorado Rockies on March 6.

The Round Rock Express are scheduled to start the season on Friday evening at home against Albuquerque. Round Rock plays in the Pacific Coast League in the East Division.

Cody graduated from McDonell in 2012 and was named the Gatorade Wisconsin Baseball Player of the Year that spring before pitching collegiately at the University of Kentucky. Texas selected Cody in the sixth round of the 2016 MLB Draft, and by the end of the 2017 season he worked his way up to the team’s High-A level and was named the organization’s top minor league pitcher in 2017.

But Cody’s 2018 season would get off to a tough start as right elbow inflammation would sideline the flamethrower before he would later undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the entire 2019 while rehabbing the injury. Cody was added to Texas’ 40-man roster at the end of the 2019 season and continued on the comeback trail before ultimately making the big league debut late in 2020.