The Texas Rangers are still hanging around the edge of the playoff race, but every step forward seems to come with a catch. After Saturday’s 6-2 win, they’re two games behind the Houston Astros in the AL West and two games back of the Cleveland Guardians for the final AL wild card spot.
The problem is that the standings don’t tell the whole story. Texas is 4-9 against Houston, which leaves them effectively three games behind the Astros. The same tiebreaker issue applies with Cleveland, since the Rangers’ 20-26 record against the AL West leaves them behind the Guardians, who are 20-19 against the AL Central.
Even with that uphill climb, the Rangers got a few developments that should help their push - though one of them came with some real concern attached.
Nathan Eovaldi is back, but in the bullpen
Texas has been without Nathan Eovaldi for a little over a month because of right posterior elbow inflammation, and the club clearly missed his presence in the stretch run. Rather than wait long enough to rebuild him as a starter, the Rangers brought him back in a new role.
Eovaldi worked out of the bullpen yesterday, his first relief appearance since 2019. The 36-year-old covered 2 2/3 innings, allowed four hits and one earned run, and struck out two. It’s a notable shift for a pitcher who has spent almost his entire career in a starting role.
He has only 30 career innings in relief and a 4.20 ERA in those outings. Still, Texas has had issues in the middle innings, and Eovaldi’s ability to provide multiple frames out of the bullpen could help stabilize that part of the staff.
Josh Jung gives the lineup a needed jolt
The Rangers’ offense had been rolling from June 1 through July 21, putting up a .759 OPS that ranked ninth in baseball during that stretch. Then Josh Jung went down with a calf injury after July 21, and the lineup’s production quickly fell off.
Jung returned yesterday and made an immediate impact, going 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. His presence also meant that, for the first time since June 11, Jung, Corey Seager, Brandon Nimmo, and Joc Pederson were all in the same lineup.
Seager and Nimmo both delivered big performances as well, and Wyatt Langford, who had been ice-cold recently, added a double and a home run. For one night, it looked like Texas could finally get its full group on the field at the same time and let the talent show through.
Injuries have already shaped this season, and Jung’s absence may have been the most damaging of all. When he’s healthy, he’s been Texas’s most reliable bat.
Pederson injury clouds the good news
Just as the Rangers seemed to have their lineup back together, another issue popped up. Joc Pederson was hit on the hand by a Brandon Pfaadt fastball during Texas’s six-run fifth inning. He stayed in to run, but he was removed before his next at-bat, with Justin Foscue taking over.
The early read is at least somewhat encouraging: x-rays were negative. But Pederson still needs more tests to determine whether there’s a bigger problem.
If he has to miss time, that would be a serious setback. Foscue can cover DH against left-handers, but his .525 OPS against right-handers makes him a limited option if Texas needs a longer-term replacement.
The Rangers would likely shuffle the DH spot among veterans such as Seager, Nimmo, and even Langford to keep everyone fresh. That would help with workload management, but losing Pederson’s left-handed power bat would be the last thing this team wants right now.
In Other News...
Rangers Get Key Reinforcements As A New Injury Concern Emerges
Carlos Correa is moving closer to a return, with a minor league rehab assignment expected to begin this week as he works back from ankle surgery. Houston is even weighing a lineup tweak that could put Correa at second base, a spot he has never played in the majors, as part of an effort to get the most out of a crowded group that also includes Yordan Alvarez and Jose Altuve.
For the Rangers, the bigger immediate note is on the health front, where Nathan Eovaldi and Josh Jung were both activated from the injured list, giving Texas a needed boost as it continues to sort through its roster. Around the division, the Athletics are dealing with their own concern after Gage Jump was slowed by a left shoulder impingement, another reminder that the injury shuffle in the AL West is far from settling down. [Read more 🡒]
Robert Garcia Is Suddenly Giving The Rangers Bullpen Real Hope
Robert Garcias return has quietly given the Rangers bullpen a needed lift at a time when every healthy arm matters. After missing four months with left shoulder inflammation, the reliever came back and helped close out a 6-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks with a scoreless inning, then followed it up by continuing to look like the same pitcher the staff hoped to get back.
In three appearances since being activated, Garcia has yet to allow a hit, a run or a walk, which is exactly the kind of immediate stability Texas was hoping for after his long layoff. The manager has already pointed to both Garcias work on the mound and the medical staffs role in getting him back, and the real question now is how quickly the Rangers can turn that encouraging start into a dependable late-inning option. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Need Wyatt Langford To Be More Than A Brief Spark
Wyatt Langfords season has already been shaped by stops and starts, and the Rangers have felt every bit of it. The third-year outfielder missed nearly two months because of a forearm injury and a hamstring strain, then returned to give Texas a much-needed lift with a strong run in June and July before the production cooled off in August and September.
For a club still chasing the AL West title, the appeal is obvious: when Langford is right, the lineup looks deeper and more dangerous. Skip Schumaker has been encouraged by the recent hits and home runs, but the bigger question for Texas is whether this is the start of a longer stretch of impact or just another brief spark in a season that has not yet settled into any rhythm. [Read more 🡒]