The Rangers walked into the All-Star break with momentum, a series win over the Astros, and the AL West lead still in hand at 49-47. They’ve pieced together a strong stretch over the last few weeks by getting enough from the rotation and coming through with timely hits, while also getting unexpected help from names like Nicky Lopez, Justin Foscue and catcher Elias Diaz.
That said, the biggest issue in Texas is hard to miss: the bullpen has started to wobble.
For much of the season, the relief group held up better than expected. Lately, though, injuries have exposed the thin spots.
Jakob Junis is on the 15-day injured list with a left hip impingement, and his absence has mattered. Used in high-leverage spots, he has a 2.80 ERA.
Jalen Beeks is out for the year, and that has pushed more inexperienced arms into bigger moments.
Jacob Latz has been a bright spot and then some. He has taken over closing duties for Texas, put up a 1.16 ERA and collected 18 saves, earning his first All-Star selection in the process. But the rest of the late-inning picture has been far less stable, and the Houston series showed it.
On Saturday, the Rangers led 3-1 in the seventh before Chris Martin gave up a two-run homer that tied the game. On Sunday, Texas was up 4-1 before the seventh inning turned messy again, with Robby Ahlstrom and Peyton Gray allowing three runs and Ben Peoples surrendering the lead in the eighth.
Texas still won both games, thanks to clutch offense from Wyatt Langford and Brandon Nimmo. But the escapes only underline the same point: the Rangers need more reliability from the back end of the bullpen.
There’s no quick fix before the trade deadline. Junis’ return will help, but in the meantime Texas needs more from arms like Grey and Tyler Alexander.
If the Rangers are still in the playoff mix by then, Chris Young figures to be active. He already added relievers Phil Maton and Danny Coulombe last year, and another move would fit the pattern.
Texas has enough talent in the bullpen to keep believing. What it doesn’t have right now is enough dependable high-leverage arms, and that’s the piece that could matter most if this team is going to turn a good first half into a real postseason push.
In Other News...
One Unexpected Ranger May Have Changed Everything At The Trade Deadline
Cal Quantrill has quietly become one of the more interesting variables in the Rangers deadline picture. After a rough 2025 season with the Braves and Marlins, he was brought in for $1 million, and his recent run in Texas has given the club something it badly needed: stability. Over his last three starts, Quantrill has posted a 2.40 ERA, and his 3.11 mark overall has helped ease some of the pressure on a rotation that still has clear questions beyond the top of the staff.
That matters because the Rangers entered this stretch with starting pitching viewed as a likely area of need, even with other parts of the roster also in play. If Quantrill keeps this up, the front office may have to decide whether he is a short-term fix or something closer to a real answer, and that choice could shape how aggressively Texas chases help before the deadline. A move that once seemed likely to center on the rotation may now push the Rangers toward other priorities instead. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Cannot Afford To Get This Deadline Decision Wrong
With the Aug. 3 trade deadline closing in, the Rangers are staring at a decision that says as much about their direction as it does about this season. Corey Seager is the name drawing the loudest debate, but the bigger organizational question is whether Texas is tempted to treat the roster like a deadline puzzle instead of a core to build around. Wyatt Langford has quickly become the kind of player the front office should be protecting, not shopping, and his recent production has only sharpened that case.
Langfords bat has given the Rangers a young cornerstone in the outfield, the sort of long-term piece that can stabilize a lineup while the club sorts out everything else around him. The catch is that Texas has not yet formally engaged him on a contract extension, which leaves another layer of urgency on top of the trade talk already swirling. For a team trying to decide whether to push forward or pull back, getting the Langford part wrong would be the kind of mistake that lingers long after the deadline passes. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Just Made Their Riskiest Day 1 Value Bet Yet
The Rangers used their third-round pick on Brody Bumila, a left-handed pitcher from Bishop Feehan High School whose talent clearly outweighed the usual draft-day caution. Even with the uncertainty attached to his arm, Texas saw enough upside to make the 89th overall selection and bet on the kind of arm that can change a pitching staff if everything comes together.
Bumila had been committed to the University of Texas, but his path now shifts to pro ball instead of campus life. The risk is obvious, and so is the appeal for a Rangers front office that was willing to lean into it, hoping the upside eventually justifies a very unconventional day-one value play. [Read more 🡒]