September is here, and the Texas Rangers are still in the thick of the American League West race, sitting two games behind the Houston Astros. They got a clean finish to August, too, knocking off the Athletics 8-1 behind Jacob deGrom, who cruised through seven innings while allowing just the minimum and striking out eight.
Now the roster is opening up, and Texas is making use of it. Starting September 1, MLB active rosters can expand to 28 players through the rest of the regular season, giving the Rangers room for a couple of additions.
One of those moves is a major league contract for veteran right-hander Trevor Williams. The 34-year-old had most recently been with the Washington Nationals in late August, and while he hasn’t been called on often this season, he’s been effective when used. Williams has posted a 2.65 ERA with 22 strikeouts and six walks across eight appearances.
Rangers fans already got a look at him not long ago. One of Williams’ recent relief outings came against Texas on August 18, when he tossed 3.1 scoreless innings and struck out five.
The timing makes sense for a club that needs arms in a hurry. Peyton Gray and Cole Winn are both on the 15-day injured list, and Skip Schumaker has already turned to Ben Peoples and Robby Ahlstrom. Even so, Texas clearly wasn’t done searching for help, and Williams gives the bullpen another experienced option.
Texas also brought up infielder Cam Cauley from Triple-A Round Rock.
In Other News...
Rangers Fans May Be Stuck Tracking Another TV Switch Soon
Local sports viewing in Dallas-Fort Worth keeps shifting under fans feet, and the latest change appears ready to come from the hockey side. The Stars are expected to announce a new local broadcasting arrangement with Amazon Prime as their primary TV partner beginning this season, another sign of how much the regional media landscape has changed since the collapse of the old setup around Victory Plus. For Rangers fans, it is part of a broader scramble that has already sent the clubs broadcasts to the BZZR app after leaving Victory Plus, making game access feel less settled than it used to.
The backdrop is financial and messy, with Victory Plus still owing the Stars and Rangers significant unpaid fees while the Mavericks have taken a different route by putting their games on free TV through a multi-year deal with TEGNA. Put together, the three franchises now sit on three different distribution paths, and none of them look especially simple for viewers trying to keep up. For the Rangers, the concern is not just where the games land next, but whether the regions latest TV shakeup brings yet another adjustment soon. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Add A Veteran Arm As Their Pitching Questions Grow
As the Rangers continue sorting through a pitching staff that has been stretched by injuries, they turned to a familiar type of midseason move by adding right-hander Trevor Williams on a major league contract. Williams had been released by the Nationals and is expected to slot into the bullpen, giving Texas another experienced arm as the club works through a roster that has had room to shuffle.
The transaction also brought infielder/outfielder Cam Cauley back from Triple-A Round Rock, a sign the Rangers are keeping their options open while the pitching picture settles. For Texas, the immediate value is less about any one move than the cumulative effect of finding enough coverage to stay afloat, and Williams arrives with a chance to help in that effort as the club navigates its next stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Nathan Eovaldis Next Week Just Got Huge For The Rangers Rotation
Nathan Eovaldis recovery is now one of the biggest moving pieces in the Rangers rotation picture. He has been dealing with right posterior elbow inflammation, and while he has progressed to throwing 50 pitches off flat ground, he still has not gotten on a mound, which leaves the next step of the process unresolved as the season winds down.
With the minor league calendar running short, Texas is weighing how to handle the back end of that buildup and whether a rehab assignment will even fit into the schedule. Manager Skip Schumaker said the next week will be critical in determining Eovaldis recovery timeline and, in turn, how realistic it is for him to help the club again this season. [Read more 🡒]