<p>ARLINGTON, Texas — Rangers reliever José Leclerc had ligament reconstruction surgery on his right elbow Wednesday. </p>
<p>The Rangers said the surgery was performed by team physician Dr. Keith Meister. Leclerc will be sidelined up to 14 months.</p>
<p>Leclerc began the 2019 season as the Texas closer before he was demoted after a rough opening month. He made only two appearances last year before getting sidelined for the rest of the 60-game season by a shoulder injury. The elbow started bothering him during spring training in Arizona. </p>
<p>The 27-year-old right-hander is 6-10 with 29 saves and a 3.19 ERA in 190 games for the Rangers over the past five seasons.</p>
<p>Texas also goes into its season opener Thursday in Kansas City without hard-throwing reliever Jonathan Hernandez, who like Leclerc was placed on the 60-day injured list.</p>
<p>Hernandez was shut down during spring training because of a ligament sprain in his right elbow. An MRI revealed a low-grade ulnar collateral ligament sprain after the right-hander felt something when throwing his last batting practice session.</p>
<p>Hernandez had a breakout season last year, when he was 5-1 with a 2.90 ERA in 27 appearances. He had 31 strikeouts and eight walks in 31 innings, relying heavily on a sinker that averaged nearly 98 mph.</p>
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