The Rangers are in first place by a game-and-a-half at the All-Star break, and that puts the front office in a simple spot: keep the group that’s helping, or cut loose the pieces that are dragging it down. With the trade deadline set for August 3, Chris Young and company have some trimming to do.
A few names stand out as players who are taking up space and, more importantly, taking opportunities away from others who could help more.
Chris Martin is the first obvious candidate. At 40, the right-hander has reached the point where the body and the results are both working against him.
He has been injury-prone, and when he has been available, the production hasn’t been there. In 2026, Martin has a 9.00 ERA over 14 innings, and his last two outings have gone badly.
Texas needs right-handed relief help, but not the kind that comes with a fastball around 93 mph and trouble finding the middle of the plate in big spots. There are better bullpen options out there, and the Rangers are likely chasing them.
Kyle Higashioka is another player who looks expendable. He did deliver a huge moment Sunday, tying the Astros at 5 with a home run in the bottom of the eighth before Texas walked it off in the ninth, but one swing doesn’t change the bigger picture.
His season has been shaky on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he’s hitting .215, and defensively he hasn’t been much of a deterrent to runners.
His throws have often missed the second-base bag and ended up in center field instead. Danny Jansen is due back, and even if he hasn’t been much better, Elias Diaz has brought a different energy behind the plate.
Add in the Rangers’ connection to Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing, and the roster squeeze at catcher gets even tighter.
Then there’s Evan Carter, the most uncomfortable case of all. The Rangers appear reluctant to send him down, and the idea seems to be that doing so would amount to admitting a failure in their own evaluation and scouting.
The answer to that, according to the source material, is blunt: get over it. Carter’s 2023 breakout is in the rearview mirror, and his bat has been sliding for two-and-a-half years.
He is slashing .188/.302/.330, and the lineup is paying for it. The club points to his defense in center field, but his arm is described as a minus, and he hasn’t produced the kind of outfield throws that change games.
He does have speed and range, but he can’t hit lefties, and the Rangers need to stop clinging to the feel-good story from 2023 and use that roster spot on someone who earns it.
In Other News...
Mariners Finally Got The Donovan Update This Lineup Needed
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Donovans absence has been felt in a lineup that has struggled to find enough offense, and Seattle has been waiting for some kind of jolt from a player acquired in February. Since arriving, he has been limited to 25 games, so even a rehab assignment carries added weight as the Mariners try to get him back into the mix and see how quickly he can move toward a return. [Read more 🡒]
New WBC Details Make Cal Raleigh's Slide Look Even Worse
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DeRosa said Raleigh was hooking balls, flying open with his front shoulder and rolling over the top hand, and the usage pattern told its own story as well. Raleigh went 0-for-9 and did not appear in the semifinal or final, while the WBC also brought a right oblique strain and a noisy handshake incident with Randy Arozarena into the picture, leaving one more reminder that his path through that event was anything but smooth. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Suddenly Have A Tough New Decision On Their Young Arms
A new benchmark for young pitching money has landed around the league, and it gives the Mariners another layer to think about as they weigh the future of their own arms. Cincinnatis agreement with Chase Burns is the kind of deal front offices notice immediately, especially in Seattle, where the rotation has been built around homegrown talent and the club has already shown a willingness to lock up key position players for the long haul.
Bryan Woo is the obvious name in that conversation, but he is hardly the only one. Seattle also has top prospects like Ryan Anderson pushing toward the majors, and the organization has to decide how aggressive it wants to be before those pitchers get expensive through the arbitration process. The Mariners have already made their comfort with extensions clear in other parts of the roster, but the pitching side is where the next big test may come, and the Burns deal only sharpens the clock. [Read more 🡒]