Rangers assistant general manager Thad Levine said Monday that Roy Oswalt will stay in the bullpen.

Oswalt pitched two innings on Sunday and then refused to come back out for a third. It's clear he would prefer to start, but the Rangers have told him he will remain in the bullpen. Levine declined to say if Oswalt has asked to be traded, but it appears the veteran right-hander will have to make the best out of the situation.

Rangers assistant general manager Thad Levine said Monday that Roy Oswalt remains a part of the team's pitching stuff.

Oswalt was recently banished to the bullpen and refused to throw a third inning of relief during Sunday's game. The veteran right-hander declined to comment Monday regarding his actions on Sunday, but it's pretty clear he's unhappy in his current role.

Roy Oswalt declined making a relief appearance in Sunday's game against the Royals.

Manager Ron Washington planned on using him for the ninth inning, but Oswalt reportedly said he "couldn't go any further," and "had enough." Oswalt wasn't available to discuss the situation after the game, but the Rangers seem doubtful to consider a six-man rotation. "Roy prefers to start," GM Jon Daniels said. "As we all know, things can change. Right now we're happy with how things set up."

Roy Oswalt is unhappy with his demotion to the Rangers' bullpen, saying "I'm not really a bullpen guy."

"Well, I mean we're 4-2 in the games I started. I guess I should've been 6-0," Oswalt said. "Two bad ones and won four of them so... I don't know. We'll see how it goes." It's not surprising that Oswalt is unhappy having to move to the pen, but he held a 6.49 ERA in his six starts, so he's not really in a position to complain. He did throw two scoreless innings in his first relief appearance Thursday. "Becoming a valuable piece is going to have to be part of his mentality and how he wants to handle that," manager Ron Washington said.

The Rangers have moved Roy Oswalt to the bullpen.

Oswalt was shelled for eight runs across 5 1/3 innings Monday in a loss to the Angels and owns a 6.49 overall ERA this season. If he fails in a long relief role, the Rangers will have no choice but to cut ties.

Roy Oswalt returned to action on Monday July 30.

Roy Oswalt (back) will not make his next start until Monday against the Angels.

Oswalt was originally scheduled to pitch Sunday, but the Rangers are giving him an extra day to recover from the tightness in his lower back. Scott Feldman will get the ball Sunday against the White Sox.

Roy Oswalt (back) will throw a bullpen session Friday and should make his scheduled Sunday start.

Oswalt is again having trouble with his lower back but will attempt to pitch through the discomfort. He has a 5.22 ERA and 1.67 WHIP in 29 1/3 innings this season.

Roy Oswalt is optimistic he'll be able to make his next start after receiving an injection in his back Monday.

Oswalt was scratched from Monday's outing after his chronic back flared up on him, but apparently a trip to the disabled list won't be in order. It's still a concern for the Rangers going forward, especially after they've lost Colby Lewis.

Roy Oswalt has been scratched from Monday's start due to back tightness.

Uh oh. Oswalt, of course, was plagued by back issues last year, which limited him to 23 starts. He's headed to Houston to be examined. The Rangers will replace him with Scott Feldman for now, but Neftali Feliz will be an option before long.

Roy Oswalt posted his second straight impressive outing Tuesday against the A's, hurling 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball in a 6-1 win.

Texas is now 4-1 in five outings, despite Oswalt's 5.22 ERA. He scattered three hits while striking out six and not walking a batter. Over his first three starts for the Rangers, Oswalt posted a 7.79 ERA while allowing a ridiculous 35 hits. In his two subsequent outings, Oswalt has given up only two runs over 12 innings on eight hits and a 9/2 K/BB rate. Those two outings came against the Twins and A's, however, so mixed leaguers will want to wade carefully if they decide to consider the possibility of activating the former All-Star.

Roy Oswalt bounced back from a horrible outing against the White Sox to allow one run in 5 2/3 innings Sunday against the Twins.

Oswalt left down 1-0, but it was still a vast improvement from Tuesday's 11-run spanking. Mixed leaguers will definitely want him active after the break, as he'll get either Seattle or Oakland in his first start back.

Roy Oswalt had a miserable night Tuesday against the White Sox, yielding nine runs on 13 hits in 4 2/3 frames.

Oswalt fanned four and walked one in the brief outing. The Sox jumped all over him in the first inning, with Kevin Youkilis, Adam Dunn and Alex Rios all going yard. Things wouldn't get much better, as the Pale Hose tacked on three more runs in the second and another pair in the fifth. After a brilliant first outing, Oswalt has now allowed 14 runs and 26 hits in 10 1/3 innings over his last two starts. He'll look for better results when he does battle against the Twins at home on Sunday.

Roy Oswalt was lousy in Texas' 13-9 win over the Tigers on Wednesday, allowing five runs on 13 hits and two walks in six innings of work.

So much for your WHIP in head-to-head leagues. Oswalt struck out six, but was obviously lucky to escape with only five runs to his name. Through 12 2/3 innings in a Rangers uniform, he's now the owner of a 4.26 ERA, 1.97 WHIP and 12/3 K/BB ratio. He'll get the White Sox in Chicago on Tuesday.

Rangers purchased the contract of RHP Roy Oswalt from Triple-A Round Rock.

He replaces the injured Mitch Moreland (hamstring) on the active roster and will make his Rangers' debut Friday night against the Rockies. Oswalt, who signed with the Rangers late last month, had a 5.87 ERA and 13/4 K/BB ratio over four tuneup starts between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock. He's coming off a 3.69 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 93/33 K/BB ratio in 139 innings last season with the Phillies. His velocity and strikeouts were down last year and he's pitching full-time in the American League for the first time in his career, so temper expectations in shallow mixed leagues.

Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan said he would be comfortable with Roy Oswalt joining the team's rotation this weekend but stressed that no decision has been made.

"If the group feels like they would like him to start this weekend against Colorado, I would be comfortable with that," Ryan said. Oswalt had his best minor league outing Sunday, allowing two runs over six innings while running his pitch count to 100. He'd be getting the ball on normal rest Friday, and we should know shortly if the Rangers plan on throwing him out there at that time.

Roy Oswalt pitched six innings for the first time this season, allowing six hits and two runs for Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.

He threw exactly 100 pitches. It was a very encouraging outing for the veteran. Oswalt had struggled in his first three minor league starts, posting a 7.71 ERA and 8/3 K/BB ratio over 9 1/3 innings. Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said the club will review Oswalt's outing before deciding where he'll pitch next. On normal rest, he'd take the hill Friday.

Roy Oswalt is slated to make his next minor league tuneup Sunday with Triple-A Round Rock.

He's slated to throw around 100 pitches. Oswalt has struggled in his first three starts, posting a 7.71 ERA and 8/3 K/BB ratio over 9 1/3 innings. Still, given the injuries in the Rangers' rotation, he could be added to the major league roster next week.

Roy Oswalt allowed three runs on five hits and two walks over just 3 1/3 innings in an outing for Double-A Frisco on Tuesday.

He also threw a wild pitch, needing a whopping 85 pitches to cover the 3 1/3 frames. Oswalt has turned in two straight clunkers, showing that he's not ready to join the Rangers' rotation quite yet. He was already scheduled to make at least one more minor league start, but we'll have to see if the Rangers decide he needs more than that to figure things out.

Roy Oswalt gave up five runs over four innings Thursday in his second start with Triple-A Round Rock.

All five runs scored in the third inning. Oswalt allowed six hits on the night, including a grand slam by Royals' top prospect Wil Myers. He struck out four and walked one and threw 38 out of 68 pitches for strikes. The veteran right-hander is still in the process of getting stretched out and is expected to make two more minor league tuneup starts before joining the Rangers' rotation.