Rangers Place Chris Martin On IL With Shoulder Impingement
The Rangers announced a series of roster moves prior to tonight’s game. They selected the contract of left-hander Robby Ahlstrom, recalled infielder/outfielder Cody Freeman and recalled right-hander Luis Curvelo. In corresponding active roster moves, they optioned right-hander Gavin Collyer, placed infielder/outfielder Sam Haggerty on the bereavement/family medical emergency list and placed righty Chris Martin on the 15-day IL due to a shoulder impingement. Martin’s move is retroactive to May 31st. To open a 40-man spot for Ahlstrom, left-hander Robert Garcia has been transferred to the 60-day IL. MLBTR covered the Ahlstrom move earlier today.
Martin will celebrate his 40th birthday while on the injured list, as he hits that milestone tomorrow. Despite his age, he has remained an effective reliever, or at least he had until recently. Last year, he made 49 appearances for the Rangers with a 2.98 earned run average. Though he had previously said 2025 would very likely be his last season, he signed up for another campaign, with Texas giving him a $4MM guarantee.
The results have been far worse this time, with the shoulder probably playing a notable role. This is already his second IL stint for a shoulder impingement this year, the first one spanning a little over a month from mid-April to mid-May. Around the IL stints, he has made 12 appearances but has been lit up for a 7.84 ERA. He hasn’t been helped by a .417 batting average on balls in play but his 14.3% strikeout rate and 30.8% ground ball rate are both well south of last year, when he punched out 24.7% of opponents and induced grounders on 42.6% of balls in play.
The Rangers haven’t yet provided any info about how long they expect Martin to be out of action. Ideally, this second IL stint will result in more proper healing, which could lead to better results once he is back on the mound.
As for Garcia, he was placed on the 15-day IL over a month ago, on April 20th. His 60-day count is retroactive to that date, so he will be eligible for reinstatement in a few weeks. A couple of days ago, manager Skip Schumaker said that Garcia is still weeks away, per Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. Whenever Garcia is healthy, he can start a rehab assignment, even if he’s still within that 60-day window. Rehab assignments for pitchers can last as long as 30 days.
Photo courtesy of Jim Cowsert, Imagn Images
Rangers To Select Robby Ahlstrom
The Rangers are selecting the contract of left-hander Robby Ahlstrom from Triple-A Round Rock, MLBTR has learned. The 26-year-old lefty will make his MLB debut the first time he gets into a game. Texas has a full 40-man roster, so they’ll need to make at least one corresponding transaction once the move is officially announced.
Texas originally acquired Ahlstrom alongside righty Albert Abreu in the 2022 trade sending catcher Jose Trevino to the Yankees. He’s regularly turned in solid ERAs and quality strikeout rates with shaky command — at least until this season. In 2026, Ahlstrom has taken his overall game to new levels. He’s sitting on a 2.76 ERA in 29 1/3 innings out of the bullpen and has fanned 28.4% of his opponents against a tidy 6.9% walk rate.
In the past, Ahlstrom has worked primarily off a four-seamer sitting 93-94 mph. This year, he’s begun to feature a sinker as well, throwing the pitch at a 21% clip thus far (in addition to a 35% clip for his four-seamer). Both fastballs are averaging 94.8 mph — the best mark of the mustachioed southpaw’s career. Ahlstrom also features an 85 mph slider, an 87 mph changeup and a show-me curveball that sits in the upper 70s (but has only been thrown at a 4% clip this year).
The Rangers have carried three lefties in the bullpen this season: Jacob Latz, Tyler Alexander and Jalen Beeks. All three have posted solid earned run averages, though the latter’s rate stats don’t really support his 3.86 ERA. If they plan to continue carrying all three, an optionable rookie like Peyton Gray or Gavin Collyer could be sent out in order to get Ahlstrom into the mix, though that wouldn’t clear a 40-man spot. Fellow lefty Robert Garcia, currently on the 15-day IL due to shoulder inflammation, has already missed more than six weeks and isn’t yet on a minor league rehab assignment, so moving him to the 60-day IL could potentially accommodate Ahlstrom’s promotion.
Rangers Sign Jarred Kelenic To Minor League Deal
The Rangers announced that they have signed outfielder Jarred Kelenic to a minor league deal. The client of THE·TEAM will report to Triple-A Round Rock. Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News was among those who passed the news along.
Kelenic, 26, just elected free agency a couple of days ago after being outrighted by the White Sox. He began the year on a minor league deal with that club and posted some encouraging Triple-A numbers. That got him a shot in the majors that he wasn’t able to take advantage of. He struck out in 33.9% of his plate appearances with the Sox and slashed .226/.305/.321 for a wRC+ of 79.
That came in a very small sample of 59 plate appearances but continued a career-long trend for Kelenic. A former sixth overall pick and ballyhooed prospect, he has often put up big numbers on the farm. That has led to many big league chances that he hasn’t capitalized on. He has 1,547 major league plate appearances to this point in his career with a 30.7% strikeout rate. His .211/.283/.374 line translates to an 84 wRC+, indicating he’s been 16% worse than league average on the whole.
That performance has led to him exhausting his option years, which has pushed him into fringe roster territory. He was outrighted by Atlanta at the end of last season and had to settle for a minor league deal with the White Sox. The other 29 clubs just passed on the chance to grab him from the waiver wire and he has been left to sign a minor league deal yet again.
For the Rangers, there’s little harm in adding some extra outfield depth without using a roster spot. They currently have Evan Carter, Brandon Nimmo and Alejandro Osuna taking up most of the outfield playing time, with Michael Helman and Sam Haggerty also in the mix. Carter has missed the past two games after getting hit on the foot by a pitch. Nimmo has battled hamstring and ankle injuries this year.
If they need to reach into their depth, Kelenic could get the call, though guys like Jonah Bride and Nick Pratto are also in the system as non-roster depth. Down the line, they may get pushed down the depth chart, as Wyatt Langford began a rehab assignment this weekend. He has been on the injured list for a little over a month due to a flexor strain. That was initially expected to require a minimal IL stint but has lingered longer than hoped. It’s unclear how long the Rangers want to have him rehabbing but such assignments for position players have a 20-day maximum.
Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images
AL West Notes: Miller, Castillo, Langford, Rangers, Moore
Bryce Miller will start and Luis Castillo will again be the piggyback pitcher for the Mariners on Sunday, but the team will then adopt a six-man rotation, the Seattle Times’ Adam Jude writes. Friday’s game with the Diamondbacks kicked off a stretch of 16 games in 17 days for the Mariners, so shifting back to a six-man rotation will help keep the entire pitching staff fresh. The rotation plan will then be re-evaluated on June 15 (Seattle’s next off-day), and sticking with the six-man format could be an option, if the M’s don’t again use two starters in a piggyback set-up.
Simply establishing a plan for the next couple of weeks is a positive step for the Mariners, as both Miller and Castillo weren’t pleased with what they felt was a lack of communication from the club. Manager Dan Wilson, pitching coach Pete Woodworth, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, and GM Justin Hollander all spoke with the two right-handers this week and now everyone seems to be “on the same page,” as Miller put it. Emerson Hancock‘s breakout season has given Seattle six viable starters and a bit of awkwardness in how to best manage everyone’s workload, though in the big picture, there’s no such things as too much good pitching for a team hoping to make an even deeper playoff run.
More from around the AL West…
- Wyatt Langford is slated to start a Triple-A rehab assignment today. The Rangers outfielder hasn’t played since April 21 due to a right forearm strain, and his stay on the 10-day injured list has been longer than expected since Langford’s previous attempt at a minor league rehab stint was paused due to more forearm discomfort. Pegged by many as a candidate for a true breakout in 2026, Langford got off to a slow start before his IL placement, hitting only .238/.274/.363 in his first 84 plate appearances.
- In addition to Langford, Rangers manager Skip Schumaker also gave reporters (including the Dallas Morning News’ Shawn McFarland) updates on two other sidelined players. Corey Seager is set for a live batting practice today, a week after a previous live BP session was postponed due to more soreness in the shortstop’s ailing back. “The running has been maybe the main thing” holding Seager back, Schumaker said, through Seager has been able to play catch and take swings. Josh Smith has also rejoined the Rangers and restarted baseball activities, though as with Seager, there isn’t any timetable for when Smith might be back in the Texas lineup. A right glute strain sent Smith to the 10-day IL on May 4, but what was initially expected to be a minimal IL stint was extended due to wrist soreness, and then the more serious matter of a bout of viral meningitis that led to a hospital stay.
- Former Angels top prospect Christian Moore exclusively played second base in his first two pro seasons but he has split his time between second and third base this season at Triple-A Salt Lake. Moore is now getting a look at the entirely new position of left field, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register writes. Angels assistant GM Joey Prebynski said Moore will be used at all three positions, and “for us, it’s just about continuing to get him reps out there, seeing balls off the bat in left field.” No team in baseball has gotten less from its left fielders in 2026 than the Angels, as Josh Lowe‘s struggles (and subsequent demotion to Triple-A) have been the biggest reason why the position has been a black hole for the team. With the Oswald Peraza/Adam Frazier platoon in place at second base, Moore’s next trip to the majors could very well see him get much more time away from his natural position. Moore made his MLB debut last season and hit only .198/.284/.370 over 184 PA, but he has continued to crush Triple-A pitching in his second year at the top minor league level, with a .282/.439/.481 to show for 171 PA for Salt Lake in 2026.
Rangers Release Dairon Blanco
The Rangers have released outfielder Dairon Blanco, who’d been playing with their Triple-A club, reports Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com. The former Royals speedster joined the Rangers via a March waiver claim and was later passed through outright waivers, so he wasn’t on the 40-man roster.
Blanco, 33, is one of the fastest players in pro ball and has a decent track record at the plate in limited action across parts of four seasons with the Royals. He’s posted a .257/.312/.416 slash (99 wRC+) in 285 plate appearances across parts of four seasons, but he’s never topped 138 major league plate appearances in a given season. Part of the reason for Blanco’s solid career rate stats is that he was heavily platooned and thus saw a disproportionate number of those plate appearances (42%) against lefties. He’s a career .296/.353/.509 (137 wRC+) hitter against southpaws but just a .228/.281/.349 (70 wRC+) in right-on-right matchups in the majors.
So far in 2026, Blanco has received limited run in Triple-A and hasn’t performed to his typical levels. He’s come to the plate 73 times in 21 games and turned in a tepid .230/.324/.295 slash with no home runs, four doubles and seven steals (in nine tries). The production is well shy of average even in Triple-A, but Blanco entered the season with a career .289/.367/.447 slash at the top minor league level.
Blanco has experience at all three outfield positions. His outstanding speed gives him the range to cover any of the spots, but he’s been dinged for a below-average arm dating back to his prospect days. It hasn’t graded out well during his big league time, making him best suited for left field with occasional work in center.
It’s not the most well-rounded skill set, but Blanco is a plus-plus runner who can move around the outfield and hit left-handed pitching at a decent clip. Coupled with a solid track record in Triple-A, that should get him a look with another organization in need of some righty-swinging outfield depth.
Rangers Release Andrew McCutchen
The Rangers have placed Andrew McCutchen on release waivers, according to the MLB.com transaction log. That was the expectation after he was designated for assignment yesterday to make room for the signing of infielder Nicky Lopez.
Assuming McCutchen goes unclaimed on waivers, he’ll become a free agent. The former MVP can explore all opportunities at that point. The Rangers will remain on the hook for the guarantees in his contract, reportedly a $1.25MM salary. A signing team would pay him the prorated $780K league minimum for any time he spends on the MLB roster, which would be subtracted from the Rangers’ obligations.
McCutchen signed a minor league deal midway through Spring Training. He’d seemingly hoped to return to the Pirates for what would’ve been the fourth season of his late-career second act in the Steel City. The Bucs didn’t appear to reciprocate that interest, and the writing was officially on the wall when Pittsburgh signed Marcell Ozuna to a $12MM free agent deal.
Texas used McCutchen mostly in a short side platoon capacity, splitting his time between DH and the corner outfield. He didn’t hit much, batting .192 with one home run over 83 trips to the plate. McCutchen drew nine walks but fanned 22 times, a 26.5% rate that would be the highest of his career over a full season.
It’s the fourth straight year in which McCutchen’s numbers have declined. The five-time All-Star had been close to a league average bat over 551 plate appearances with the Bucs last season. McCutchen still has an elite understanding of the strike zone but no longer hits for much power.
Although he struggled against pitchers of either handedness in his limited sample with Texas, he hit lefties at a solid .267/.353/.389 clip a year ago. The Rangers themselves have been one of the worst offenses in MLB against left-handed pitching. They evidently weren’t expecting McCutchen to improve that production. The Mariners and Padres are also near the bottom of the league in hitting lefties and are speculative possibilities that could consider him for a bench role.
Rangers Designate Andrew McCutchen For Assignment
The Rangers announced the signing of utility infielder Nicky Lopez to a major league contract. The CAA client is active for tonight’s game against the Astros and draws right into the lineup as the second baseman against Mike Burrows. Texas designated Andrew McCutchen in a corresponding move.
McCutchen signed a minor league deal midway through Spring Training. He’d seemingly hoped to return to the Pirates for what would’ve been the fourth season of his late-career second act in the Steel City. The Bucs didn’t appear to reciprocate that interest, and the writing was officially on the wall when Pittsburgh signed Marcell Ozuna to a $12MM free agent deal.
Cutch had a big Spring Training to nail down a roster spot, locking in a $1.25MM salary in the process. He was in the starting lineup on Opening Day as the designated hitter against Philly southpaw Cristopher Sánchez. Texas used McCutchen mostly in a short side platoon capacity, splitting his time between DH and the corner outfield. He hasn’t hit in a fairly small sample, batting .192 with one home run over 83 trips to the plate.
It’s the fourth straight year in which McCutchen’s numbers have declined. The five-time All-Star had been close to a league average bat over 551 plate appearances with the Bucs last season. McCutchen still has an elite understanding of the strike zone, but he’s whiffing at a career-high rate this year without hitting for any kind of power.
Texas has five days to trade McCutchen or place him on waivers. He’d be able to decline a minor league assignment while retaining his salary, so the likeliest outcome is that he’ll be released this week. He’d then be available to other teams for the prorated league minimum salary, assuming he wants to continue playing.
Lopez was designated for assignment by the Cubs last week. He cleared outright waivers and elected free agency just yesterday. It didn’t take long for his camp to find him another MLB deal. Lopez’s club debut tonight will be his sixth team at the big league level. He spent his first few seasons with the Royals and has bounced around since the end of the 2022 season.
A light-hitting infielder, Lopez has a .245/.309/.310 slash line in nearly 2400 career plate appearances. He was on the Cubs’ MLB roster for a month but didn’t start a game, only making four appearances off the bench. Lopez has graded as a plus defender at second and third base over his career. Public metrics are more split on his shortstop work, but the 31-year-old can play the position if necessary.
Texas has used a middle infield pairing of Ezequiel Duran and Justin Foscue over the past few weeks. They’ve been without second baseman Josh Smith since the beginning of May and lost Corey Seager a couple weeks ago. Foscue has hit pretty well but isn’t viewed as a particularly strong defender. He had a pivotal throwing error on Sunday night that allowed the Angels to complete a sweep with a walk-off win.
Foscue is out of the lineup tonight but could split DH time with Joc Pederson if the Rangers want Lopez in there as a defensive upgrade. Seager and Smith each seem at least a couple weeks away, but the out-of-options Lopez could be pushed off the roster once either or both of those players return.
IL Transactions: DeLuca, Winn, Coulombe, Baddoo
Here’s the round-up of some players departing and joining the injured list on Sunday…
- The Rays placed outfielder Jonny DeLuca on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 23) due to a right hamstring strain, and called up Victor Mesa Jr. from Triple-A Jacksonville. DeLuca suffered the injury while running the bases in Friday’s 4-2 Rays victory over the Yankees, and he underwent an MRI today to determine the severity of the strain. DeLuca has hit .269/.298/.412 over 125 plate appearances while chipping in at all three outfield positions, though most of his work has come as the right-handed hitting side of a right field platoon with Jake Fraley. Both sides of that platoon are now on the IL since Fraley is recovering from sports hernia surgery, leaving Ryan Vilade, Richie Palacios, and Mesa as the top candidates to pick up the slack in the outfield.
- The Rangers placed right-hander Cole Winn on the 15-day IL due to fatigue in his throwing arm, and called up right-hander Gavin Collyer (this was the only corresponding move since Collyer was already on the 40-man roster). Winn has a 25.8% strikeout rate and 7.9% walk rate over 19 1/3 innings out of the Texas bullpen, but a lot of hard contact and an unfavorable .345 BABIP have resulted in a 5.59 ERA that is far higher than his 3.25 SIERA. While Winn’s arm issue doesn’t seem too serious, he missed significant time in both the 2024 and 2025 seasons due to shoulder and rotator cuff problems.
- The Red Sox activated Danny Coulombe from the 15-day IL prior to today’s game with the Twins, and the left-hander tossed a scoreless inning of relief in Boston’s 6-5 loss. (Left-hander Tyler Samaniego was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.) Coulombe missed a little over three weeks due to back spasms, and his 5.00 ERA over nine innings this season can be largely attributed to one very rough outing against the Yankees on April 23. Beyond that bad game, the southpaw has only allowed two runs over his other 8 1/3 frames of work.
- The Brewers announced that outfielder Akil Baddoo was activated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Nashville. After signing a split contract with Milwaukee during the winter, Baddoo suffered a quad strain near the end of Spring Training and has spent the entire season on the 60-day IL. The outfielder has logged some rehab games in Nashville already and will continue to bide his time until a possible call-up to the Show.
Rangers Notes: Gore, Seager, Jung
Rangers left-hander MacKenzie Gore is expected to start tonight against the Angels, per Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News. Texas fans can now breathe a sigh of relief. Gore was removed from his start on Monday with a back injury, but appears good to go for his next turn in the rotation.
Gore seemed to be shaken up after diving for a groundball in the first inning against the Rockies last time out. He managed to finish the frame, but was then relieved by Peyton Gray. Gore was charged with two earned runs on three hits and two walks in his lone inning of work.
The Rangers landed Gore in a blockbuster deal with the Nationals that sent five players back to Washington. The 27-year-old is off to an uneven beginning to his tenure in Texas. Gore piled up 25 strikeouts over his first three starts, recording a pair of wins. The lefty battled control issues from there, handing out 16 free passes over his next 23 2/3 frames. Gore bounced back with eight innings of one-run ball in his outing before the abbreviated appearance on Monday.
Gore was expected to form a three-headed monster at the top of the rotation with Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi. It hasn’t exactly come to fruition. After a strong April, deGrom has been tagged for 16 earned runs in four May outings. He’s allowed eight home runs in that stretch. Eovaldi has settled in recently, but a brutal start to the campaign still has his numbers lagging behind his tremendous 2025 output.
Here are a couple of other injury items for the Rangers…
- Shortstop Corey Seager will not face live pitching today as originally planned. His balky back didn’t respond properly after a workout on Friday. “We’re trying to figure out the next steps,” manager Skip Schumaker told reporters, including McFarland. Seager hit the injured list earlier this week with lower back inflammation. After missing a series last weekend against the Astros, he was sent to see the Rangers’ back specialist. The 32-year-old Seager is scuffling through his worst offensive season as a big leaguer.
- Third baseman Josh Jung left Saturday’s matchup against the Angels due to left shoulder soreness. He went 0-for-2 before being replaced in the lineup by Michael Helman. Jung told reporters he was “scared more than anything” and “should be alright” moving forward (h/t again to McFarland). The infielder had surgery to repair a torn labrum in that same shoulder heading into the 2022 season. Duran slid over to cover third base when Jung left yesterday. He’s been the regular shortstop since Seager went down. It’ll likely be Duran at third and Helman at short tonight if Jung can’t go.
Photo courtesy of Brad Penner, Imagn Images
Rangers Claim Blaine Crim
The Rangers announced that first baseman Blaine Crim has been claimed off waivers from the Rockies. Crim has been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock, and right-hander Carter Baumler was moved from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL to open up a 40-man roster spot.
A 19th-round pick for the Rangers in the 2019 draft, Crim spent his first six pro seasons in the Texas organization, and he made his Major League debut in a Rangers uniform in 2025. Crim was designated for assignment at last year’s trade deadline in the aftermath of the deal that brought Merrill Kelly to Arlington, and the Rockies then claimed Crim away on waivers. Crim’s 2025 campaign ended with a .200/.270/.462 slash line and five home runs over 74 plate appearances and 20 combined games with Texas and Colorado.
This remains Crim’s full MLB resume, as he began the season on the Rockies’ 10-day IL while recovering from an oblique strain and was then optioned to Triple-A after being activated. Colorado designated Crim for assignment earlier this week, and the 28-year-old now finds himself in the familiar environs of Round Rock.
Crim has spent parts of the last five seasons at the Triple-A level, and he hit .281/.370/.479 with 70 home runs over 1882 PA at the top rung of the minor league ladder. These impressive numbers come with the caveat that Crim’s entire Triple-A career has been spent in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, and for his minor league career as a whole, Crim’s wRC+ is a relatively modest 113. Crim’s path to consistent MLB playing time has also been hampered by the fact that he has become a first base-only player in recent years, after getting some limited action as a third baseman and corner outfielder earlier in this minor league days.
From the Rangers’ perspective, Crim is a known quantity of a depth option. He is also in the second of his three minor league option years, giving Texas some flexibility in sending him back and forth from Triple-A if a need arises.
Baumler was a selection in this offseason’s Rule 5 Draft, as the Pirates took him out of the Orioles’ organization and then dealt the right-hander to Texas. Baumler posted a 3.18 ERA despite recording as many walks as strikeouts (six apiece) over 5 2/3 relief innings over four appearances, which represented his first taste of Major League action. A right intercostal strain sent him to the 15-day IL in early April, and it has now been almost a month since Baumler’s minor league rehab assignment was halted due to an injury setback.
The move to the 60-day IL now ensures that Baumler can’t return to the Rangers’ active roster until the first week of June at the earliest, and it’ll likely be a lot longer than that considering that his throwing progression may have to be restarted from scratch. The Rule 5 regulations require Baumler to be on Texas’ active roster for at least 90 days this season, and if not, the Rangers will again have to keep him on their 26-man for all of the 2027 campaign in order to officially secure his right from Baltimore.