ARLINGTON -- Major League Baseball informed the Rangers on Saturday that right-hander Jeremy Jeffress will remain on the MLB restricted list as it investigates his DWI from Friday.
Rangers assistant general manager Thad Levine said this investigation is unique because the Commissioner's Office and the MLB Players Association are working together to find a resolution. The Rangers were aware that once they placed Jeffress on the restricted list, which they did Friday, that it would be up to MLB to decide when he would be reinstated.
"The expectation from us is that [the investigation] will be done in a timely fashion. Whether that will be a day or days, we don't know at this juncture," Levine said. "Once he was placed on the restricted list, we yielded any control and, frankly, we do not have much say or jurisdiction in this matter. We're waiting to hear what Major League Baseball and the union ultimately determine."
Jeffress is not permitted to be with the Rangers while he's on the restricted list. He will continue to work on his own while the investigation evolves.
"I think that's a large part in why they're trying to do this in a timely fashion, so he's not put in a compromised position," Levine said.
Levine credited the Commissioner's Office for keeping the Rangers updated on the ongoing process. Jeffress' status on the restricted list is not a suspension, as MLB is still in the fact-finding stage of the investigation.
"If he were to be found in violation of the [Joint Drug Agreement] or the [Collective Bargaining Agreement], I think at that point they would talk about a suspension," Levine said. "But shy of that, I think they're going to leave him in this limbo state until they find more facts so they can make a better decision."
Rangers manager Jeff Banister said it will be challenging to play without Jeffress, who was acquired from the Brewers with catcher Jonathan Lucroy on Aug. 1 to help shore up the bullpen. Jeffress has pitched nine innings and allowed four runs since being acquired by the Rangers. Left-hander Dario Álvarez was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Friday to replace Jeffress on the roster.
"It's not like we haven't had a challenge before," Banister said. "Just adds to the number of challenges we've faced and found a way to overcome and gives an opportunity to someone else in the bullpen to step up and pitch well for us."