The Texas Rangers have reached the point where the Chris Martin decision is no longer a tough one.
Martin came out of a brief retirement after a 2025 season that looked like a strong final act. At 39, he put up a 2.98 ERA across 42 1/3 innings, and it seemed like he had walked away on his own terms.
Then Texas brought him back, expecting him to be a major bullpen piece again. At the time, that move already looked risky.
Now it looks worse.
Through 16 appearances and 14 innings in 2026, Martin has been rocked for a 9.00 ERA. The results have been ugly enough on their own, but the availability has been just as damaging. He has landed on the injured list three separate times this season because of a right shoulder impingement.
That combination leaves the Rangers with a problem they can’t keep ignoring. A bullpen needs arms it can trust, and Martin has given Texas neither steady production nor steady availability. If the Rangers are looking for a reliever who can give them more dependable work, the case for moving on is obvious.
There is, though, one reason the club might hesitate. Martin is one of the few relievers on the staff with real MLB experience at a high level.
Texas’ bullpen also includes a lot of younger arms and rookies, players who haven’t lived through a push for a postseason spot or handled October pressure. If the Rangers are in that kind of race in the second half of 2026, that kind of veteran presence could matter.
Still, experience only goes so far when the outs aren’t coming. Martin’s value as a voice in the room can’t outweigh how little he has given the Rangers on the mound. At this stage, the performance has to come first.
That’s why the Rangers should be considering a DFA during the All-Star break. The move would clear a bullpen spot for someone who can offer more consistent production, and based on what Martin has shown so far, that would be hard to argue against.
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