Cleveland Indians reliever Josh Tomlin (left) is shown during a game against the Oakland Athletics on June 30, 2018, in Oakland, Calif. Despite being on the DL, the Whitehouse High School graduate and Tyler resident is accompanying the Indians on road trips and maintaining a constant presence in the clubhouse.(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

ARLINGTON — Things couldn’t have worked out better for Josh Tomlin and his family.

The week of July 16, the Whitehouse High School graduate and Cleveland pitcher was home for the Major League All-Star break. And with the Indians resuming play July 20 in Arlington against the Rangers, Tomlin drove from Tyler to rejoin his teammates at Globe Life Park.

“Yeah, I was going home for the All-Star break regardless of that, went to APEC, worked out a little bit to stay fresh,” said Tomlin, a Tyler resident. “It was nice that we started the second half off here, so I could just drive up from Tyler and get back to work, try to get better and get back on the field.”

Of course, there’s a catch. Since July 10, Tomlin has been on the disabled list with a right hamstring strain. During his stay in Arlington, he said he was scheduled to throw several more bullpen sessions with Indians pitching coach Carl Willis, after which his path would be further evaluated.

The disabled list is somewhere the 33-year-old righty has been before, but this time is different because Tomlin hasn’t felt disconnected from his teammates since he’s been accompanying them on road trips and maintaining a constant presence in the clubhouse.

“I’m still with the team, still get to be in the bullpen and in the dugout with the guys,” he said. “It’s not like it is in the past, but it’s still frustrating that you’re not able to go out there and do what you’re capable of doing — trying to help the team win.”

Indians manager Terry Francona prefers having Tomlin available out of his bullpen, but Francona greatly values the unseen contributions Tomlin makes to his club’s success even as he’s on the shelf.

“He’s one of the better teammates I’ve ever seen in my career, he’s that special,” Francona said. “Right now, he’s on the DL, but when Andrew (Miller) was throwing his side (session) last week or on the field, he was out sitting on a bucket watching. He supports everybody. He’s one of the best. When you get into a job like this, you appreciate guys like that because they make your job a lot more fun and fulfilling.”

Once Tomlin rejoined his teammates in Arlington, there were two new faces for him to meet in fellow relievers Adam Cimber and Brad Hand, who came over from San Diego in a trade prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

And anytime the Indians pen can be fortified like it was through this deal, that’s a huge positive.

“It does make us a stronger group. If (Francona) could have 12 bullpen arms, he would,” Tomlin said. “It just gives us that extra depth that you have a bunch of guys that can pitch in the ninth, fifth or the third. That’s how (Francona) likes to go, have guys that are spread out a little bit.”

As for when Tomlin could rejoin that group, that remains uncertain as Francona and his staff are in no hurry to rush the local product back into the mix.

“Carl (Willis) really wants to throw a couple more bullpens with him. He thinks they’re making some pretty good strides,” Francona said. “I even talked to (Tomlin) about maybe going in two- or three-inning stints where you can throw all your pitches, but it’s not five or six innings where if you’re pitching and then something happens, you’re not available. We’ll work through that.”

One fact not lost on Tomlin is that his days of visiting Globe Life Park, where he watched Rangers games while growing up, will soon end with Texas moving next door to Globe Life Field, an indoor, retractable roof stadium, in 2020.

“It is hard to believe. It’s going to be sad in the aspect of I grew up watching games here, but in another sense, seeing the roof and A/C, it’s going to draw more fans, it’s going to draw more attraction, more people who want to go play there,” Tomlin said. “It’s hard to get big-name guys to come here and play in this heat for a long period of time. It’s going to be a sad sight to see this thing not hold games anymore, but on the flipside, I totally get it.”

Stephen Hunt is a Frisco-based freelance writer.