HOUSTON - The Rangers may have yet another issue in their beleaguered bullpen.

Manager Jeff Banister revealed Tuesday Jose Leclerc had been "unavailable" to the club on Monday against Houston. Banister did not elaborate and did not answer when asked if Leclerc was healthy. But Leclerc's unavailability became evident when Banister chose to go to Tony Barnette instead of the hot rookie in the seventh inning of the Rangers' eventual 6-2 loss Monday. Barnette allowed three hits, including a pair of doubles, and three runs and retired only one batter.

Barnette had one more day of rest than Leclerc, who last pitched Saturday, but Leclerc's usage has become very sporadic. He threw 11 pitches in his Saturday outing, the only time he's been on the mound since April 24. He has pitched just three times since April 14 after appearing in five of the team's first 10 games. Leclerc has allowed just one run in 10 innings while striking out 16 and walking one.

The bullpen has been beset by issues since the offseason. Jake Diekman is out until at least midseason recovering from surgery related to ulcerative colitis. Keone Kela was sent to the minors for nearly three weeks at the end of spring training due to a perceived lack of effort. Closer Sam Dyson failed. Setup man Matt Bush, who has since moved to the closer's role, missed a week with soreness related to the AC Joint in his shoulder.