The Texas Rangers got exactly the kind of night they’ve been chasing all season Monday, pounding the Chicago White Sox 11-2 behind a lineup that finally looked loose and dangerous.
Jake Burger and Wyatt Langford both went deep, Corey Seager drove in three runs and added two doubles, and four other Rangers chipped in extra-base hits. It was the sort of offensive outburst that has been too rare for Texas this year.
Lost in the scoring was another encouraging sign for the Rangers: left-hander Jordan Montgomery turned in his second straight strong appearance since coming back from the injured list.
That matters because Montgomery’s return hasn’t followed the path Texas expected. The Rangers signed him this offseason with the idea that, once healthy after Tommy John surgery before the 2025 season, he’d slide back into the rotation. Instead, when he was activated from the 60-day injured list earlier this month, Texas used him out of the bullpen.
The move made sense at the time. Cody Bradford was throwing better during his rehab assignment, and his work in the rotation has backed that up.
Montgomery’s first two bullpen outings were rough. He allowed six hits and three earned runs in four innings against Baltimore on Aug. 9, then gave up six hits and four earned runs in two innings against the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 13.
But the last week has looked different. On Aug. 19 against Washington, he worked two innings, allowed one hit, struck out two and walked none. Then on Monday, he was even sharper: two hitless, scoreless innings against the White Sox, no walks, two strikeouts and just 23 pitches.
Whether Texas keeps him in relief or not, that’s the kind of stretch that can change how the club views him. A dependable long man is valuable, and Montgomery suddenly looks like someone who can fill that role.
The rotation picture is also in flux. Jack Leiter and Nathan Eovaldi are both on the injured list, and there hasn’t been a significant update on Eovaldi as he deals with elbow inflammation. For now, the Rangers are making their starting-pitching plans on a series-by-series basis.
If Montgomery keeps stacking outings like Monday’s, he could force his way back into that conversation. A spot in the rotation could open up over someone like Kumar Rocker, who has struggled lately but still gave Texas a solid outing Monday.
Chris Young’s “more pitching the better” approach gives the Rangers some flexibility there. And if Montgomery is finding his form again, Texas could use the boost as it heads into its final 30 games.
In Other News...
Cameron Cauley Is Making A Tough Rangers Roster Decision Harder
Cameron Cauleys name is pushing closer to the Rangers September conversation at just the right time. The Triple-A Round Rock infielder was named Pacific Coast League player of the week for Aug. 17-23 after turning in a strong stretch on both sides of the ball, a reminder of why Texas has kept him on the radar as the season winds down. His appeal is pretty straightforward for a club looking ahead to roster expansion on Sept. 1: he can move around the diamond and gives the Rangers another right-handed option.
Cauley has already spent time with Texas this season, appearing in 28 games and showing the kind of flexibility teams lean on when the calendar flips to September. That mix of versatility and recent production is what makes the decision a little tougher, because the Rangers are weighing not just whether he belongs back in the mix, but where he fits best once the roster opens up. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers May Have Just Created A Bigger Logan O'Hoppe Win
When the Rangers brought Logan OHoppe back up from Round Rock, they got a quick reminder of why he mattered in the first place. The catcher-turned-DH stepped into the lineup and immediately contributed, picking up a hit and scoring a run in his first game back after spending time in Triple-A, where he had settled in nicely over 18 games.
The bigger win may have come before he ever returned to Texas. By sending OHoppe to Round Rock after acquiring him, the Rangers were able to slow the clock on his MLB service time, a move that gives the club an extra season of control and keeps him under team control through 2029 instead of 2028. For a team trying to build both now and later, that kind of maneuver can matter just as much as what happens in the box score. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Finally Woke Up At The Plate When They Needed It Most
The Rangers got the kind of offensive night they had been waiting for, backing Kumar Rocker with a steady surge at the plate in an 11-2 win over the White Sox. Rocker worked 5 2/3 innings and allowed two runs, giving Texas enough length to settle in as the lineup piled up 14 hits and finally looked more like the group it had been trying to become.
Corey Seager led the charge with three hits and three RBIs, a needed centerpiece for an offense that had struggled to find rhythm. The victory moved Texas back to .500 and into first place in the American League West, though the early portion of the game had a little more chaos than the final score might suggest. [Read more 🡒]