The Rangers are heading into the All-Star break with plenty to feel good about, and the biggest reason is simple: they just beat the Astros again. Texas took the rubber game against its rival to keep tightening its grip on the AL West, opening up a 1.5-game edge over the Mariners and sitting three games ahead of Houston. They’re also the only team in the division with a winning record.
That’s the backdrop for a handful of Rangers notes that touch everything from trade chatter to rehab updates, with Corey Seager once again at the center of the noise.
Seager hasn’t really been on the field since June 28, and his latest appearance on June 30 never even turned into a real at-bat, with Cameron Cauley pinch hitting for him in the top of the first. Between three IL stints, a rough .182/.292/.374 line, and a hefty contract, the rumors have been easy to stir up with the August 3 deadline coming fast.
Then Bob Nightengale of USA Today added a new wrinkle over the weekend, saying the Rangers “could be interested in trading shortstop Corey Seager this winter,” while also pointing to how much his trade value has slipped. The idea seems to be that Texas might be aiming for a stronger second half that could make moving on from the deal easier after the season.
But there’s a major catch. Seager has a limited no-trade clause that lets him block a deal to eight specific teams.
And if the Rangers hold onto him through the end of the year, he’d gain full control by finishing the season in Arlington and reaching 10-5 rights. Any player with 10 years of service time and at least five seasons with his current club gets a full no-trade clause.
That means a winter trade would still require Seager’s approval, and he’d have a big say in where he goes.
Texas also got a promising update from the draft side. Brody Bumila, the Rangers’ third-round pick in the 2026 MLB draft, is expected to sign.
The 18-year-old lefty is a massive presence at six-foot-nine and 255 pounds, and his fastball has touched 101 mph. Once viewed as a first-round talent, he slid to pick 89 because of UCL concerns and a second surgery on his left elbow.
There had been some concern he might head to the University of Texas instead, but Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News reported that Bumila intends to sign with the Rangers.
Bumila’s own words made the rounds too: “I throw with balls.”
That kind of attitude fits the profile. So does the velocity. If the health cooperates, Texas may have landed a real weapon.
On the mound in the big leagues, Jacob Latz keeps turning into one of the Rangers’ most important arms. What started as fifth-starter territory has become a full-blown closer story, and Latz was again right in the middle of a Texas win on Sunday. He came in for the ninth inning of a tie game against Houston and shut things down so Brandon Nimmo could finish it off with a walk-off in the bottom half.
Latz also showed off a new walk-out song while doing it. After spending much of the season coming out to “Mass Appeal” by Gang Starr, he’s now using “Shook Ones, Part II” by Mobb Deep. The switch fits the vibe: hitters have been plenty shook by Latz, who has held opponents to a .125 batting average against and posted a 0.67 WHIP on the year.
Texas needed every bit of that stability because the rotation has been patched together in real time. With Jacob deGrom scratched because of a hip/glute injury, MacKenzie Gore stepped in on short rest and gave the Rangers four solid innings of one-run ball. That mattered even more with a bullpen leaning on five rookies.
Gore’s first half hasn’t been smooth, but he’s answered the bell when Texas has needed him, and Sunday was his third outing on short rest this season. He wasn’t the only starter willing to take the ball, either.
Per Skip Schumaker, Nathan Eovaldi volunteered to start as well. That would have meant even less rest than Gore, who had pitched on July 8, while Eovaldi had just thrown six scoreless-looking innings with 10 strikeouts on July 9 against the Angels.
It would have been a stretch, but it says plenty about where Eovaldi stands in the clubhouse.
The good news for Texas is that help is getting closer. Jordan Montgomery made his fourth rehab start and went four innings for Round Rock, allowing one run on four hits with no walks and one strikeout over 52 pitches. His velocity was up too, reaching 92.3 miles per hour, and he looks close.
Cody Bradford also began his rehab assignment, throwing one inning for Frisco as planned. The results weren’t sharp - he hit only seven of 21 pitches for strikes - but the important part is that he’s back on the mound.
As for deGrom, the Rangers still aren’t completely out of the woods, but there’s at least some encouraging movement. He’s scheduled to go through his normal throwing progression this week and could throw a bullpen session on Friday or Saturday. With the injury coming right before the break, there’s a chance it helps him avoid the IL altogether.
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 🡒]