Jack Leiter’s latest rehab outing gave the Rangers more to think about, not less.
Texas has long viewed Leiter as a starter, and any bullpen move was supposed to be only a temporary bridge. But after Wednesday at Triple-A Round Rock, the organization is left sorting through a messy question: what comes next for the injured right-hander?
The Rangers sent Leiter to Round Rock with the hope that he would build on his rehab work and get through two innings. Instead, he lasted just one. In 27 pitches, he allowed three hits and three runs.
The inning turned quickly. Leiter opened by giving up consecutive singles to Adael Amador and Tyler Freeman, who is the brother of Rangers infielder Cody Freeman.
He then induced a fielder’s choice at home, with Jonah Bride throwing out Amador at the plate. But the trouble kept coming when Leiter hit Charlie Condon to load the bases.
From there, Vimael Machín delivered the big swing, lining a 0-1 double that cleared the bases. Leiter did settle down enough to strike out Chad Stevens and get Roc Riggio to ground out, but the damage was already done.
Round Rock had given Leiter a clean frame to work with after David Davalillo struggled in the fourth, allowing four hits and four runs while recording just two outs. Ryan Lobus then handled 2.1 scoreless innings before handing the ball to Leiter.
What matters now is not just the line score, but what the Rangers saw underneath it. They’ll be evaluating his pitch shapes, his velocity, and whether the rough inning was more about command or the quality of his stuff. Those are the kinds of questions Texas will dig into during the off day in Milwaukee.
The bigger issue is whether Leiter is actually a fit for relief work at all. Some starters can slide into the bullpen and handle long relief.
Others can’t. Leiter has limited experience in that role, and this one appearance does little to settle the debate.
Texas had viewed the bullpen as a short-term way to get him back on the staff after he was stretched to nearly 60 pitches in his second rehab outing last week. But that plan only works if he can handle the role and if his stuff is where the Rangers need it to be.
Time is also becoming a factor. Minor league affiliates will begin shutting down in a couple of weeks, and the Rangers have fewer than 30 games left in the season. Eventually, Texas will have to decide.
Wednesday was supposed to help make that decision easier. It didn’t.
In Other News...
Rangers Face A Real Josh Jung Dilemma When He Returns
Josh Jungs calf injury has stretched on since July 21, and the Rangers still do not have a firm timetable for when their third baseman will be back. In the meantime, Ezequiel Duran has handled much of the work at the hot corner and given Texas a steady option on both sides of the ball, which has at least softened the blow of missing Jung.
When Jung is finally ready, the Rangers will have a real roster puzzle on their hands. They will have to decide how to fit him back into a lineup that has found some balance with Duran at third, while also keeping enough defensive strength on the field and preserving the offense that has helped fill the gap. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Let Another Winnable Game Spiral Into A Frustrating Blowout
The Rangers had a chance to turn a sloppy afternoon into something manageable after drawing multiple walks early and getting a two-run home run from Joc Pederson that briefly pulled them even. Instead, the game began to tilt the wrong way as the White Sox took advantage of defensive mistakes and gradually separated themselves, turning what had looked like a winnable contest into a lopsided loss.
Texas never found a way to stop the slide once Chicago settled in, and the final margin reflected how quickly the game got away. Managerial decisions and player substitutions kept coming into play as the Rangers tried to steady things, but the damage kept building over the next few innings and left them staring at another frustrating result. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Playoff Push Suddenly Rests On Their Unlikeliest Reinforcements
The Rangers have spent much of this stretch piecing together a playoff chase while leaning around a growing list of injuries to core names such as Corey Seager, Wyatt Langford, Jack Leiter, Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom. In that kind of scramble, it has not been the usual stars carrying the load so much as a trio of unlikely reinforcements who have helped keep Texas within striking distance despite sitting just under .500.
Cal Quantrill has given the rotation a stabilizing arm, Jose Trevino Diaz has steadied things behind the plate while adding value on both sides of the ball, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa Lopez has filled in wherever the infield has needed help. For a team trying to stay in the race without many of its biggest pieces, that kind of support matters more than the box score suggests, and it leaves the Rangers depending on the sort of depth most clubs only discover when the season starts demanding answers. [Read more 🡒]