The Rangers have brought back a familiar left-hander, agreeing to a minor league contract with Anthony Veneziano and sending him to Triple-A Round Rock, according to Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News.
Texas has been interested in Veneziano as organizational depth for a while. The club signed him to a minor league deal in December, but he asked for his release three weeks later so he could chase an opportunity with the SSG Landers in the Korea Baseball Organization.
That move didn’t go as hoped. Veneziano made 16 starts in his first KBO season and posted a 6.10 earned run average over 79 2/3 innings. The Landers let him go earlier this month and replaced him with former Guardians right-hander Pedro Avila.
Even after that rough stretch, Veneziano gives Texas a stretched-out arm it can stash in the system. The Rangers’ rotation depth is thin beyond their top five of Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, MacKenzie Gore, Kumar Rocker and Cal Quantrill. Marco Gonzales would likely be next in line for a spot start before Veneziano if the club ran into a rotation injury, but the depth chart remains a concern until Cody Bradford and/or Jordan Montgomery finish their rehabs from UCL surgeries.
In the majors, Veneziano has worked almost entirely out of the bullpen. He made one “start” as an opener for the Marlins last summer, but otherwise has been a reliever.
Across 40 big league appearances over three seasons, he has a 3.98 ERA with roughly league average strikeout and walk numbers. The New Jersey native also owns a 4.58 ERA in 204 1/3 career Triple-A innings.
In Other News...
Should Rangers Bet On A Familiar Deadline Fix For Rotation Woes
With the trade deadline approaching, the Rangers are still sorting through a rotation that has been hit by uncertainty and needs innings in the worst way. Jordan Montgomery, Cody Bradford and Jack Leiter have all added to the sense that Texas may need to look outside the organization for a starter, and the club is at least exploring the kind of low-cost move that could steady things without forcing a major long-term commitment.
One familiar name has surfaced as a possible fit because of the way the market and the Rangers needs line up. The pitcher in question has had a rough overall season with the Giants, but his recent run has been better, including a July stretch that suggests there may still be something usable there. For Texas, the appeal is obvious: a short-term fix, limited risk and a chance to patch a glaring hole without paying a premium, even if the final decision comes down to whether the front office believes the rebound is real. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face A Deadline Gamble Fans Will Be Split On
With the trade deadline closing in, the Rangers are being pushed toward a familiar kind of decision: whether to spend prospect capital on help for a bullpen that needs another reliable right-handed arm for the middle innings and high-leverage spots. The idea is straightforward enough for a club trying to stay in the race, but it still comes with the usual cost of moving young talent before it has fully arrived in Arlington.
Corey Seager is the other part of the conversation, and it is the one that figures to split fans more sharply. Even with the slump and the injury questions hanging over him, the case against dealing him is clear enough: the Rangers should not be in the business of taking a low-end return on a player with that kind of track record and importance. For now, the deadline pressure is less about whether Texas should make a move than about how far it is willing to go without turning a short-term fix into a long-term mistake. [Read more 🡒]
Two New Rangers Arms Just Changed The Prospect Conversation
The Rangers 2026 draft class already looks like it could reshape how the organization is viewed on the prospect front, with both Gio Rojas and Brody Bumila landing on ESPN MLB insider Kiley McDaniels updated top 10 list. Rojas, the No. 16 overall pick, came in with the kind of pedigree that usually forces a quick adjustment in a farm system, while Bumila arrived as a later selection after the Rangers went well above slot to get him signed for $2.75 million.
For a club that has spent the past few years trying to keep its pipeline stocked, having two new arms jump into the conversation this quickly is a notable development. Rojas was a high-profile high school pitcher before turning pro, and Bumilas own prep resume made him one of the more intriguing additions in the class, giving Texas a pair of young pitchers worth tracking as they begin their pro careers. [Read more 🡒]