David Davalillo’s season at Triple-A has been a grind, but the right-hander may be finishing on a note that gives the Texas Rangers something to hold onto heading into 2027.
The 25-year-old Venezuelan turned in another sharp start Saturday for the Round Rock Express, working five scoreless innings against Salt Lake City. He allowed three hits and a walk, hit one batter and struck out six. It was the kind of outing that stands out even more because it came on the heels of another strong five-inning effort.
On Sept. 6 against Oklahoma City, Davalillo went 5.1 innings and gave up just one hit and one walk while striking out six and keeping the run column clean. Over those two starts, he has trimmed his Triple-A ERA from 6.31 to 5.17.
That’s a welcome turn after a rough 2026 campaign, especially when measured against what he did a year ago. In 2025, Davalillo was named the Nolan Ryan Rangers minor league pitcher of the year after going 6-4 with a 2.44 ERA, 126 strikeouts and 28 walks in 107 innings.
This season has looked very different. Entering Round Rock’s final homestand against Tacoma, he is 2-9 with a 4.62 ERA, 106 strikeouts and 42 walks in 97.1 innings.
The strange part is that injuries haven’t been the issue. Davalillo hasn’t spent time on the minor league injured list all year. Instead, the Rangers have moved him around as he’s tried to iron out his control, with stops at Round Rock, Double-A Frisco, High-A Hub City and the Arizona Complex Rangers.
He returned to Round Rock for good in August, and the results were mixed. In five starts that month, he went 0-2 with a 4.58 ERA, struck out 16 and walked three in 19.2 innings, and allowed four earned runs twice.
September has told a different story. Davalillo is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA, 15 strikeouts and three walks in 13.2 innings, and after giving up four runs in his first outing of the month, he hasn’t allowed one since.
For Texas, the recent run is at least a reason to stay interested. If the control problems really are behind him, Davalillo could go into Major League spring training next year with a real shot to compete for a rotation job or a long relief role on a staff that should have openings.
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For Texas, the timing matters because any reinforcement the Blue Jays get now can affect how the rest of the postseason picture shakes out. Yesavage has already been a solid arm for Toronto this season, going 5-5 with a 3.65 ERA, and if his return lines up with the Rangers trip north, it would give a division rival another starting option just as the margin for error gets thinner. [Read more 🡒]