Rangers mysteriously demote reliever because of 'clubhouse culture'

The Rangers are putting the finishing touches on their Opening Day roster, and one of their final cuts was as surprising as it was confusing.

Texas announced Friday that reliever Keone Kela will begin the season at Triple-A Round Rock, and it had nothing to do with his spring performance (Kela was unscored upon in four Cactus League games this spring, striking out seven batters in five innings).

 Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Instead, the issue appears to be behavioral, as GM Jon Daniels explained:

“One of our competitive advantages, maybe our biggest competitive advantage, is our clubhouse culture, our atmosphere, the family that is our organization,” Daniels said, via the Fort Worth Star Telegram. “Sometimes when things happen in families, you need a little time to address them. That’s what’s happened here.

“It doesn’t change how we feel about him short-, medium- and long-term. I have a lot of faith in him as a pitcher and a young man, and hopefully he’ll be back with us at some point going forward.”