ARLINGTON -- Rangers pitcher Shawn Tolleson is taking a family emergency medical leave to be with his father Mark, who is dealing with cancer.
"My dad's been in pretty poor health for the last nine months," Tolleson said. "Toward the end of last season, he was diagnosed with lymphoma and colon cancer, so he's been battling. For the last two weeks, he's not been feeling very good.
"He's just been at home, not a lot of energy, and spent about a week in the emergency room. It's just a tough time for my family. ... It's just been hard for everybody. This is really just an opportunity for me to be home and be there for my family."
Under the conditions of the leave, Tolleson can be away from the Rangers from three to seven days, and he has been replaced on the 25-man roster. Texas called up infielder Jurickson Profar from Triple-A Round Rock on Friday.
"We just had a discussion about it today," Tolleson said. "It's just kind of been weighing heavily on me and I think I just need this time to be with my family."
Tolleson is 0-2 with a 10.13 ERA in 20 appearances on the season. He started the season as the Rangers' closer, but he has since relinquished the job to Sam Dyson.
"I'm not one to make excuses for myself as far as baseball goes," Tolleson said. "Guys go through a lot of stuff through the course of the season. We have lives just like everyone else.
"Everyone's got a job they got to perform in the midst of what life throws at you, so I don't have any excuses for my performance on the field. I'm healthy, I feel good. I try to not let what's going on affect me here. At the same time, some things are so important to you that they're always on your mind."