Jordan Montgomery’s latest rehab outing gave the Rangers something more useful than a tidy line score: a real step forward.
The left-hander made his first appearance at Triple-A Round Rock since beginning his injury rehab assignment, and for the first time in that process, he ran into some actual trouble. Montgomery worked two innings for the second straight start, but this one was less smooth than his first two outings with Double-A Frisco.
Texas moved his rehab to Round Rock on Thursday for convenience, with the Express at home. It also gave Montgomery a better test, since he was facing hitters with Major League experience or players close to it.
That included Vimael Machin, who delivered a two-RBI triple. Machin played in the Majors last year and is on stand-by for the Colorado Rockies if they need a utility player.
Even with the damage, the bigger takeaway was the workload. Montgomery started his rehab assignment on June 21 with Double-A Frisco, and his pitch count has steadily climbed in the way the Rangers wanted. Manager Skip Schumaker said at the outset that Montgomery would begin with one inning, then either add another inning in the next game or move to two innings, followed by another two-inning outing.
Montgomery was efficient enough in his first appearance that Texas pushed him to two innings in the next game, and that outing was efficient as well. This one was the first where he had to grind a little more, but it also let him throw 39 pitches, which was more than he had totaled in the first two games combined, when he threw 33. That 19-pitch jump is a little unusual, but it makes more sense from the second outing to the third than it would have from the first to the second.
In Other News...
Jarred Kelenic Is Back On The Market Again
Jarred Kelenics latest stop with the Rangers was always going to be short-lived, and now its over. After being designated for assignment, Kelenic cleared waivers along with right-handers Joe Ross and Chris Paddack, and all three turned down outright assignments to Triple-A Round Rock in favor of free agency, leaving Texas to keep sorting through the back end of its roster as the season moves on.
For Kelenic, the move adds another chapter to a year that has already taken him to multiple teams, with his career still defined by flashes that have not yet added up to steady production. Ross gave Texas a brief stretch out of the bullpen, while Paddacks stay was even shorter after a spot start, and the Rangers now have to replace innings and outfield depth while these three look for their next landing spot. [Read more 🡒]
Former Dodgers All-Star Quickly Finds New Opportunity After Roster Crunch
Santiago Espinals latest stop came together quickly after a rough stretch with the Dodgers, where he was designated for assignment twice before moving on. The veteran infielder, who has played in 614 major league games, has now resurfaced on a minor league deal and gives a club in need of infield help a familiar, experienced option to consider.
For the Rangers, the timing matters as much as the name. Injuries have thinned the infield picture and opened the door for a player like Espinal to work his way into the mix, with the possibility that he could help rotate around the diamond if the need persists. It is the kind of depth move that can look minor in March and suddenly matter a lot once the season starts to squeeze a roster. [Read more 🡒]