Jacob deGrom didn’t make much noise in the Texas Rangers clubhouse last week, but when he finally spoke, everybody listened.
At the trade deadline last Monday, the Rangers gave the 38-year-old two-time Cy Young winner a chance to waive his no-trade clause and approve a move to the Atlanta Braves. deGrom turned it down. No one would have faulted him for chasing a ring elsewhere, but he chose to stay in Texas and made his reason clear: he was there to win. That message landed in the room, and it carried weight with manager Skip Schumaker, too.
deGrom followed that up Saturday night with the kind of outing that makes a clubhouse believe him. In his first start since telling teammates and Rangers fans he wanted to stay and win, he worked five innings against the Baltimore Orioles, allowed three hits and struck out nine. Jackson Holliday got him for a solo home run, but Schumaker said afterward that was fine.
Corey Seager noticed the extra edge.
“He was probably a little emotional, had a little extra gear,” Seager said. “I guess that’s a good word. He just wanted to go out there and prove why he wanted to be here.”
The box score was strong, even if the night ended a little early. deGrom left after 88 pitches and five innings because his left hip flared up again. The hip injury he dealt with before the All-Star break is still bothering him, though he said it wasn’t nearly as bad as his last start against Houston.
Still, he acknowledged the wear-and-tear adds up every time he goes out there and drives down on that hip. Even so, he said he was encouraged by how quickly his body bounced back between starts.
“We’re going to be able to manage it and keep going,” deGrom said.
Schumaker called deGrom one of the team’s “aircraft carriers,” a label that makes the assignment plain. If Texas is going to get into the playoffs, it needs its biggest arms carrying the load, even if they’re not feeling perfect.
Outside of the Holliday homer, deGrom looked every bit the front-line starter the Rangers need right now. He was frustrated with the pitch he left in the zone and with not making it through the fifth, but Schumaker saw what mattered.
“I’m sure there were a lot of emotions going on whether he wants to admit it or not,” Schumaker said. “He stepped up and gave us exactly what we needed.”
Texas heads into a key week on the road against the Angels and the Athletics, two places where the Rangers haven’t played well this season. deGrom is set to take the ball on normal rest and will likely spend the four days in between getting as much treatment as possible on that hip.
After the deadline decision and the response on Saturday, one thing is clear: deGrom doesn’t sound like a pitcher looking for a way out. He sounds like someone who wants to finish the job in Texas.
“We need to win series,” deGrom said. “We need to win games, as many as we can. So that the goal - put us in a position to win.”
In Other News...
Jordan Montgomery's Return Left Rangers Watching One Late-Season Question
Jordan Montgomery was back on a big-league mound for Texas for the first time since the end of the 2024 season, and the return came with the kind of work-in-progress feel the Rangers have been bracing for. In four innings against Baltimore, he gave up three earned runs, a reminder that even a familiar arm can take some time to settle in after a long layoff. For a club still trying to sort through its late-season picture, getting Montgomery back in the mix mattered as much as the line score.
Skip Schumaker did not sound discouraged afterward, pointing to the possibility of more coming as Montgomery builds back up. There is still other movement on the horizon, too, with catcher Danny Jansen expected to begin a rehab assignment soon and Jack Leiter likely to start one this week. For Texas, the bigger question now is not just whether Montgomery can round into form, but how quickly the roster around him starts to look more complete. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Are Betting On New Bullpen Arms To Fix A Lingering Problem
The Rangers moved on from Chris Martin on Aug. 8, ending a short and frustrating run for the veteran right-hander after he was designated for assignment and cleared waivers. Injuries had complicated his season from the start, and the results never matched the clubs hopes, with Martin struggling to a 9.00 ERA over 14 innings before his release.
Now Texas is trying to patch a familiar bullpen gap with a different look, turning to Chase Silseth and Peyton Gray for right-handed middle relief work. It is a low-profile move on paper, but for a Rangers staff that has been searching for dependable answers in the middle innings, these are the kinds of innings that can quietly shape a stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face A Brutal AL West Test They Have To Pass
The Rangers left Baltimore with a series win, even if the trip ended on a sour note, and now the schedule turns back toward a division test that could shape the next stretch of their season. They are heading out for a seven-game road trip against the Angels and Athletics, two clubs already out of playoff contention, which on paper should be a chance to bank wins and keep their momentum moving in the right direction.
For Texas, though, the real issue is not the opponent as much as the setting. The Rangers have not played well on the road against AL West teams this season, and this stretch carries extra weight because every division game can matter when the standings tighten later on. If they are going to keep their playoff chase in good position, this is the kind of road trip they have to handle better than they have so far. [Read more 🡒]