The Texas Rangers are about to get two more roster additions on Tuesday, but the bigger bullpen watch is still unfolding elsewhere.
Right-hander Carter Baumler and left-hander Robert Garcia are set to start injury rehab assignments this week, according to MLB.com, and both are likely headed to Triple-A Round Rock. For a Rangers club sitting two games out in both the division race and the wild card race with 25 games left, any healthy arm matters. The catch is simple: the clock is working against them.
Baumler and Garcia have both been sidelined since April, and at one point a return this season looked doubtful for each. Baumler has been dealing with a right intercostal strain since April 5, while Garcia has been out with left rotator cuff inflammation since late August. Now Texas is giving both a shot to prove they can still be part of the stretch run.
This won’t be a quick stop-and-go rehab tune-up. The Rangers want both pitchers to reach a point where they can work on back-to-back days and handle multiple innings, which is the real test here. They do not need to be fully stretched out in the traditional sense, but they do need to show they can recover and bounce back.
Baumler has already logged time in Arizona and has thrown three or four “ups,” the rehab version of innings, designed to simulate the rest between frames. If he’s done that more than once, he’s already got some arm strength banked.
Garcia, meanwhile, is coming off a live session, though MLB.com did not say whether it came in a bullpen setting or against batting practice. Either way, it was enough for Texas to feel good about sending him out with Baumler.
The most likely plan is for both pitchers to work at least twice this week. The first appearance would probably be one inning, and the second could stretch to two if the results and recovery are both solid. After such a long layoff, the Rangers are not likely to ask for much more than that right away.
If things go well, the next step would be trying to get both on the mound on consecutive days the following week, probably for one inning apiece. That would be the clearest sign they can handle something closer to a major league workload and could set up a return while Texas is on the road in Seattle.
Even if the Rangers wait until after that trip to Arizona and Seattle to bring them back, there would still be a chance for both to contribute over the final 12 games. The opening is there. It’s just shrinking fast, and their response in rehab will decide whether either one can help the bullpen down the stretch.
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