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Dane Dunning

Rangers Activate Corey Seager, Outright Dane Dunning

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The Rangers announced this afternoon that they’ve activated star shortstop Corey Seager from the injured list. Jonathan Ornelas was optioned to Triple-A in order to make room for Seager’s return to the roster. In addition, the Rangers announced the righty Dane Dunning has cleared waivers and been given an outright assignment to Triple-A.

Seager, 31, was shelved with a hamstring strain on April 23 and returns after a minimum stay on the IL. For the time being, however, he’s in the lineup at DH with Josh Smith continuing to cover shortstop for Seager. That seems to suggest that Seager is healthy enough to hit at this point but not fully recovered from his hamstring strain, so the Rangers are planning to be careful with him when it comes to fielding. Struggling DH Joc Pederson remains in the lineup today at first base, with newly-promoted first baseman Blaine Crim headed to the bench to make room for Seager. It’s unclear how long the Rangers intend to use Seager in a DH-only capacity, but for however long that lasts it seems Pederson and Crim will need to battle for playing time.

Regardless of how the first base situation plays out or when Seager returns to his short, his return is welcome news for a beleaguered Rangers lineup. Texas has sported one of the league’s weakest offenses this year thanks in large part to the struggles of Pederson, Marcus Semien, and Jake Burger. Seager’s recent absence didn’t help matters, and with him back in the lineup and Burger at Triple-A for a reset it’s possible the changes could help the club’s lineup get going. Seager’s trademark power hasn’t shown itself much so far this year, but the Rangers’ star hitter has still managed a 131 wRC+ while hitting .286/.345/.468 overall in 21 games this year.

Going to Triple-A to make room for Seager is Ornelas. The 24-year-old has been an up-and-down depth piece for the Rangers over the past three seasons and has appeared in just 30 MLB games total. A career .184/.245/.224 hitter in the microscopic sample, he went hitless in six plate appearances with a walk and three strikeouts during his brief time up with the big league club this year. He’ll head back to the team’s Round Rock affiliate and wait for his next opportunity, though his lackluster .146/.269/.146 slash line at Triple-A to open the year will need to improve in a big way for Ornelas to get a more serious look in the majors than his current role as an emergency depth piece.

As for Dunning, it’s the second time the right-hander has cleared waivers this year. He came up for a single three-inning appearance in the majors earlier this week but was cut from the roster immediately thereafter, leaving him to head back to the minors with a 6.00 ERA on the year. Dunning could theoretically choose to reject an outright assignment and test free agency, though in doing so he would forfeit the remainder of his $2.66MM salary this year. That makes the most likely outcome that Dunning will once again accept his outright assignment and pitch for Round Rock until he gets another opportunity in the majors.

Rangers Select Tucker Barnhart, Designate Dane Dunning For Assignment

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6:12pm: Texas officially announced the Barnhart selection and Dunning’s DFA. They did not place Higashioka on the injured list tonight.

4:45pm: The Rangers are going to select catcher Tucker Barnhart to their roster, reports Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. That will give them some help behind the plate as Kyle Higashioka battles hamstring tightness. Right-hander Dane Dunning will be designated for assignment as the corresponding move. This will give the active roster a 14/12 split in terms of position players and pitchers, at least for now.

Higashioka played last night but it appears he hurt his hamstring in the process. Per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com and Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports, an injured list stint is possible but the MRI results are still pending. Whether he goes on the IL or not, it seems he might be unavailable for a day or two, so the club has brought up another backstop to support Jonah Heim.

Barnhart, 34, signed a minor league deal with the Rangers in the offseason. He has been playing for Triple-A Round Rock thus far, hitting .246/.354/.391 in 20 games for that club. He appeared in each big league season from 2014 to 2024, so this will be his 12th straight campaign if he gets into a game.

Broadly speaking, he’s been a glove-first catcher. He has a career .241/.318/.351 batting line, production which translates to a wRC+ of 78. He has tapered off a bit in recent years, with a .208/.286/.255 line and 58 wRC+ since the start of 2022, which is why he had to settle for a minor league deal.

Defensively, his framing marks have been subpar for his entire career, but better recently. With both Baseball Prospectus and Statcast, his early-career framing was considered poor, but closer to average over the past six years. His blocking and throwing have been more consistently strong. He’ll step in as Heim’s backup until Higashioka is ready to return to action.

Dunning, 30, was only added to the roster on Monday. The Rangers are in a patch of playing 13 straight games, leading to heavy use of the pitching staff. Caleb Boushley tossed two innings on Sunday, so the Rangers swapped Dunning in to take over as the club’s long man. Dunning entered last night’s game with the Rangers up 12-0 after six innings, relieving starter Jacob deGrom. Dunning absorbed the final three frames as they went on to win 15-2. He allowed two earned runs on four hits and two walks.

He’ll now head into DFA limbo and will likely be placed on waivers. Back in March, he was passed through outright waivers unclaimed, which allowed the club to keep him as non-roster depth and bring him back this week.

He and the club avoided arbitration in November, agreeing to a salary of $2.66MM this year. No club was willing to claim him and take on that salary just over a month ago, not too surprising since he had a 5.31 earned run average last year. He posted a 5.40 ERA in five starts for Round Rock before being called up this week. Since he has more than three but less than five years of service time, he will have the right to elect free agency if he clears waivers again. However, doing so would mean forfeiting what’s left of that money, so he would likely accept as he did last month.

Most clubs operate with the 13-pitcher maximum at all times but the Rangers should be okay at 12 for a short spell. Since Dunning was the only reliever to pitch last night, the rest of the bullpen got a night off. Perhaps another pitcher will be added if Higashioka goes on the IL. Or if he avoids the IL, Barnhart might be bumped off the roster for a fresh arm.

Photo courtesy of Joe Camporeale, Imagn Images

Rangers Designate Daniel Robert For Assigment

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The Rangers announced that they have selected right-hander Dane Dunning and optioned right-hander Caleb Boushley, two moves that were reported earlier today. To open a 40-man spot for Dunning, right-hander Daniel Robert has been designated for assignment.

Robert, 30, was added to the club’s 40-man roster in July of last year. By the end of the season, he had made four appearances and logged 5 2/3 innings with two earned runs allowed. He has been on optional assignment for all of this year, so that is the totality of his big league experience to this point.

His work in the minors has been intriguing, though with some control issues. Dating back to the start of 2022, he has thrown 136 2/3 innings for Triple-A Round Rock. He has allowed 4.15 earned runs per nine innings with that club, who play in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He had an 11.5% walk rate in that time but also punched out 28.7% of batters faced.

He’s been far better than that more recently. From the start of 2024 to the present, he has a 2.45 ERA in 55 Triple-A innings. His 31.7% strikeout rate is quite strong and he has only walked 7.8% of opponents.

Despite the strong minor league work, he has been nudged off the roster. Perhaps that’s because of his late-bloomer status. A two-way player in college who hardly pitched, his professional ascent was interrupted by the canceled 2020 season and a few injuries. When he made his major league debut in July of last year, he was on the cusp of his 30th birthday, which was in August.

Now that he’s been nudged off the roster, the Rangers will have one week to figure out his fate. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so any trade talks will have to come together in the next five days. Given his strong minor league numbers and the fact that he’s still optionable for the rest of this season and one additional year, it’s possible he’ll garner some interest from other clubs.

Photo courtesy of Joe Camporeale, Imagn Images

Rangers To Select Dane Dunning

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Right-hander Dane Dunning is going to be added to the Rangers’ roster, per Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News. Fellow righty Caleb Boushley will be optioned to get Dunning onto the active roster but the club will need to make a corresponding move to open a 40-man roster spot. The club has not announced the moves yet.

Dunning, 30, was outrighted off the club’s 40-man roster just ahead of Opening Day. He had just wrapped up a tough spring showing, allowing 10 earned runs in 11 innings. He also had a pretty rough campaign in 2024. He posted a 5.31 ERA around some injured list stints last year. He had come into the season with a 4.16 career ERA, so that was a notable jump. Over the course of the season, he was bumped to the bullpen and also optioned to the minors for a while.

Since being outrighted, he’s been pitching out of the rotation for Triple-A Round Rock. He has a 5.40 ERA across five starts for that club, pitching in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. His 22.6% strikeout rate and 9.7% walk rate are both close to average but he has allowed four home runs, a rate of 17.4% per fly ball.

He’s likely ticketed for a long relief role with the big league club. The Rangers have Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Tyler Mahle, Patrick Corbin and Jack Leiter making up their current rotation. The team has completed six contests in a 13-game stretch without an off-day, leading to heavy bullpen usage. Of their eight relievers, all of them have pitched at least twice in the past six days. Luke Jackson, Chris Martin and Robert Garcia have each pitched in three of the past four days.

With the staff fairly gassed, Dunning will provide manager Bruce Bochy with a guy who could potentially take a few innings of mop-up duty. Dunning tossed 5 1/3 innings in his most recent outing, which was on Thursday. He still has an option remaining, so he can be optioned back down to Round Rock whenever the need for a fresh arm arises again.

Photo courtesy of William Purnell, Imagn Images

Rangers Outright Dane Dunning

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March 25: Dunning has been outrighted to Triple-A, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

March 23: The Rangers have placed right-hander Dane Dunning on outright waivers, according to a report from Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Notably, Dunning has not been designated for assignment and remains a member of the Rangers organization who can pitch in games and workout with the club while the process runs its course. Rival clubs will have 48 hours to claim Dunning off waivers, taking on the entirety of his $2.66MM salary for the 2025 campaign in the process. Should the righty clear waivers, the Rangers would then have the opportunity to outright Dunning off the 40-man roster and to the minor leagues, though they would be under no obligation to do so.

Dunning, 30, was a first-round pick by the Nationals in 2016 but was traded to the White Sox alongside Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez for outfielder Adam Eaton. Dunning became a consensus top-100 prospect ahead of the 2018 season but was sidelined by Tommy John surgery for the entirety of the 2019 season. He made his big league debut in 2020, making seven starts for the White Sox and pitching to a solid 3.97 ERA with a 3.99 FIP in those 34 innings of work. Dunning was then traded for the second time in his career, this time to the Rangers as part of the trade that sent Lance Lynn to Chicago.

The right-hander’s first two years in Texas painted him as a fairly run-of-the-mill back-end rotation arm. He posted a decent but unremarkable 4.48 ERA (93 ERA+) with a 4.28 FIP while soaking up 271 innings for the then-rebuilding Rangers, but he took a major step forward alongside the rest of the club during his age-28 season. That year, Dunning turned in solid, mid-rotation numbers as he made 35 appearances (26 starts) for Texas with a 3.70 ERA (116 ERA+) in 172 2/3 frames. While Dunning’s peripheral numbers, including a 4.27 FIP and a 19.4% strikeout rate, were nothing to write home about, the right-hander’s solid results seemed to leave him poised to continue acting as a solid back-of-the-rotation option for the Rangers for years to come.

Unfortunately, the wheels came off for Dunning in 2024. The right-hander struggled to the worst season of his career last year, splitting time between the rotation and bullpen as he posted a lackluster 5.31 ERA with a 5.17 FIP in 95 innings of work spread across 15 starts and 11 relief appearances. Dunning spent time in the minors as well last year, and his struggles continued at Triple-A Round Rock where he posted a a 5.28 ERA in 15 1/3 innings of work. In the majors, Dunning’s 21.6% strikeout rate was actually a couple of ticks better than it had been the year prior, but those gains were more than outweighed by a career-high 9.5% walk rate and a massive 10.9% barrel rate. That latter figure helped to contribute to a huge spike in home runs, as he surrendered 18 long balls in 95 frames after allowing just 20 in the prior year’s 172 2/3 innings of work.

That difficult season left Dunning in a somewhat precarious position entering the offseason, though he eventually agreed to a pre-tender deal with the Rangers worth $2.66MM back in November. Since then, however, the Rangers have pressed up against the lower limit of the luxury tax; RosterResource currently projects them for a luxury tax payroll of roughly $235MM this year, just $6MM under the first $241MM threshold. The club has made it abundantly clear this winter that ducking under the luxury tax is a top priority for them this winter and, given that, it’s easy to imagine that shedding Dunning’s salary could offer the club a bit of extra breathing room in a year where their pitching depth is being tested to the point of bringing in veteran lefty Patrick Corbin to help eat innings.

While Dunning himself could be relied upon to do the same in theory, he’s looked rough in Spring Training this year with an 8.18 ERA and four home runs allowed in just 11 innings of work. If the Rangers are uncertain about his ability to contribute in even a long relief role at this point, perhaps the best outcome for all sides would be Dunning getting claimed by a rebuilding club like the Marlins or White Sox where he can have more of a leash to figure out his issues. Another possibility could be joining the rotation mix of a club like the Yankees that has seen its rotation ravaged by injuries and is currently relying on options like Will Warren and Carlos Carrasco who arguably offer even less certainty than Dunning. Should Dunning clear waivers unclaimed, the Rangers will be able to decide whether to carry him on the Opening Day roster as initially expected or outright him off the 40-man roster and to the minor leagues to make room for another arm.

Players Avoiding Arbitration: 11/22/24

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The deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players is tonight at 7pm CT. Throughout the day, we’ll surely see a handful of arb-eligible players agree to terms with their clubs to avoid a hearing.

These so-called “pre-tender deals” usually, although not always, involve players who were borderline non-tender candidates. Rather than run the risk of being cut loose, they can look to sign in the lead-up to the deadline. Those salaries often come in a little below projections, since these players tend to have less leverage because of the uncertainty about whether they’ll be offered a contract at all.

Under the 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement, players who sign to avoid an arbitration hearing are guaranteed full termination pay. That’s a change from prior CBAs, when teams could release an arb-eligible player before the season began and would only owe a prorated portion of the contract. This was done to incentivize teams and players to get deals done without going to a hearing.

All salary projections in this post come via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. This post will be updated throughout the day/evening as deals are announced and/or reported.

  • The Mets announced that they have agreed to a one-year contract with right-hander Sean Reid-Foley, though salary figures have not yet been reported. He was projected for a $900K salary next year after posting a 1.66 ERA but in just 21 2/3 innings due to injury.
  • The Rangers announced they avoided arbitration with right-hander Josh Sborz, who was projected for a $1.3MM salary next year. He’ll come in just shy of that at $1.1MM, per Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today (X link). He underwent a shoulder debridement procedure recently, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (X link) and will likely miss the first two or three months of 2025.
  • The Tigers and infielder Andy Ibanez have agreed to a salary of $1.4MM next year, per Francys Romero (X link). That’s a shade below his $1.5MM projection. Ibanez hit .241/.295/.357 in 99 games for the Tigers in 2024.
  • The Guardians avoided arbitration with right-hander Ben Lively, per Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com (X link). He’ll make $2.25MM next year, below his $3.2MM projection. Lively had a 3.81 ERA in 151 innings for the Guards this year.
  • The Cubs and right-hander Julian Merryweather have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a salary of $1.225MM, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN (X link). That’s just shy of his $1.3MM projection. Merryweather had a 6.60 ERA in 2024 but was injured most of the time and only made 15 appearances. He had a solid 3.38 ERA the year prior in 72 innings. The Cubs also agreed to terms with catcher Matt Thaiss and righty Keegan Thompson, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune (X link), though salary figures have not yet been reported.
  • The Blue Jays got a deal done with right-hander Erik Swanson, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet on X. The righty was projected for $3.2MM next year but will make a smidge less than that, with Keegan Matheson of MLB.com (X link) relaying that Swanson will make $3MM. He had a 5.03 ERA in 2024 but was at 2.97 the year prior and also finished this year strong, with a 2.55 ERA in the second half.
  • The Yankees reached agreement with center fielder Trent Grisham on a $5MM salary, reports Jorge Castillo of ESPN (on X). The deal contains another $250K in incentives. The two-time Gold Glove winner had been projected at $5.7MM. Grisham had an underwhelming .190/.290/.385 showing during his first season in the Bronx. The Yankees will nevertheless keep him around for his final year of arbitration, presumably in a fourth outfield capacity. The Yankees also announced that they have a deal with righty JT Brubaker, though figures haven’t been reported. He was projected for a salary of $2.275MM, the same figure he made in 2023 and 2024, two seasons he missed while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
  • The Rockies reached deals with outfielder Sam Hilliard and lefty reliever Lucas Gilbreath, Feinsand reports (on X). Hilliard gets $1MM, while Gilbreath signed for $785K. Both figures come in shy of the respective $1.7MM and $900K projections. Hilliard popped 10 home runs over 58 games as a depth outfielder. Gilbreath only made three appearances after missing the entire ’23 season to Tommy John surgery. He posted a 4.19 ERA across 43 innings two years ago.

Earlier Agreements

  • The Dodgers and right-hander Tony Gonsolin have agreed to a $5.4MM salary for 2025, per Robert Murray of FanSided (X link), an exact match for his projection. He had signed a two-year, $6.65MM deal to cover the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He made 20 starts for the Dodgers in the first year of that pact but he missed all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery.
  • The Guardians and Sam Hentges have agreed to a $1.337MM deal, according to Robert Murray of FanSided. That’s right in line with his projected $1.4MM salary. The left-hander has been an effective reliever for Cleveland over the past three seasons (2.93 ERA, 2.82 SIERA, 138 IP), but he missed the latter half of 2024 with a shoulder injury. After undergoing surgery in September, he will miss the entire 2025 season.
  • The Orioles and infielder Emmanuel Rivera agreed to a $1MM deal, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. He’d been projected at $1.4MM. He hit .238/.312/.343 this year.
  • Right-hander Brock Stewart and the Twins agreed to a one-year deal worth $870K, MLBTR has learned. He’d been projected at $800K. Stewart, who missed much of the season due to injury, can earn another $30K via incentives. He’s been lights-out for the Twins when healthy over the past two seasons (2.28 ERA, 33.5 K%, 10.8 BB%). Minnesota and righty Michael Tonkin also agreed to a $1MM deal, tweets Jon Heyman of the New York Post. He’d been projected at $1.5MM. The Twins later announced that they had reached deals with Stewart, Tonkin and righty Justin Topa. Hewas projected for $1.3MM next year but will come in just shy of that in terms of guarantee. Per Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune (Bluesky link), it’s a $1.225MM guarantee in the form of a $1MM salary and then a $225K buyout on a $2MM club option for 2026.
  • The Padres and Tyler Wade agreed to a one-year deal worth $900K, Heyman tweets. There’s a club option for an additional season. Wade, who hit .217/.285/.239 in 2024, was projected for that same $900K figure.
  • Infielder Santiago Espinal and the Reds settled on a one-year deal at $2.4MM, Heyman tweets. That’s well shy of his $4MM projection and actually represents a slight pay cut after Espinal hit .246/.295/.356 for Cincinnati.
  • The Rangers and righty Dane Dunning agreed to a one-year deal worth $2.66MM, Heyman reports. It’s a 19% cut after Dunning struggled to a 5.31 ERA in 95 innings this past season. He was projected at $4.4MM.
  • The Giants and right-hander Austin Warren agreed to terms on a one-year deal, reports Justice de los Santos of the San Jose Mercury News. He missed most of the season recovering from Tommy John surgery but returned late with 10 2/3 innings of two-run ball out of the bullpen.
  • The Brewers announced that they’ve signed catcher/outfielder Eric Haase to a one-year deal for the upcoming season. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reports that the deal guarantees Haase $1.35MM with the chance to earn more via incentives. He’d been projected for a $1.8MM salary. Haase will fill the backup catcher role in Milwaukee next season. He’s controllable through the 2027 season.
  • The Dodgers and right-hander Dustin May settled at $2.135MM, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic (X link). That’s the exact same salary he had in 2024. May will be looking to bounce back after spending all of this year on the injured list.
  • The Phillies and right-hander José Ruiz settled at $1.225MM, per Robert Murray of FanSided (X link). That’s slightly above his $1.2MM projection. The righty can also unlock a $20K bonus for pitching in 30 games and $25K for pitching in 40. He made 52 appearances for the Phils in 2024 with a 3.71 ERA. Philadelphia also announced agreement with backup catcher Garrett Stubbs on a one-year deal. The Phils did not reveal the salary figure. Stubbs hit .207 in 54 games this year.
  • The Tigers and infielder/outfielder Zach McKinstry agreed to a $1.65MM salary for 2025, per Robert Murray of FanSided (hat tip to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press on X). That’s slightly ahead of his $1.3MM projection. He hit .215/.277/.337 this year while stealing 16 bases and playing each position except or first base and catcher,

Rangers Select Chase Anderson, Option Dane Dunning

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5:15pm: The Rangers have officially announced the selection of Anderson’s contract and optioned right-hander Dane Dunning to the minor leagues in a corresponding move. Dunning, 29, was a standout member of the club’s pitching staff last year but has struggled to a 5.38 ERA in 90 1/3 innings of work this year. Texas also announced that infielder Justin Foscue had been recalled to fill the active roster spot vacated by Grossman.

3:50pm: The Rangers are set to select the contract of right-hander Chase Anderson, according to a report from Robert Murray of FanSided this afternoon. Anderson will need to be added to the club’s 40-man roster, though a corresponding 40-man move will not be necessary after the club lost outfielder Robbie Grossman to the Royals on waivers earlier today. A corresponding active roster move will still be necessary despite the open space made by Grossman’s exit, however, as the Rangers already have 13 pitchers on their active roster.

Anderson, 36, is a veteran of eleven big league seasons who will suit up for his ninth big league club when he first dons a Rangers uniform. Most recently, the right-hander pitched for the Red Sox earlier this year after signing a big league deal that guaranteed him $1.25MM. He pitched primarily in a multi-inning relief role with Boston and posted middling results overall with a 4.85 ERA that was 10% worse than average by ERA+ and an elevated 5.60 FIP in his 52 innings of work. Those lackluster results were accompanied by disappointing peripherals, as while Anderson averaged a career-best 93.8 mph on his fastball with the Red Sox he still struck out just 15.6% of batters faced, a career low for the righty.

Those struggles in Boston didn’t stop the Rangers from signing him to a minor league deal earlier this month. The early returns on his time in the organization have not been promising, however, as he’s been shelled to the tune of a 6.94 ERA in 11 2/3 innings of work across four starts at Triple-A Round Rock to this point. Both Anderson and the Rangers are surely hoping that a move back to the majors and away from the inflated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League will do the righty some good. The Rangers remain without Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, and Tyler Mahle in the rotation, a reality which has forced the club to rely on the likes of Cody Bradford, Andrew Heaney, and Jose Urena for starts this year.

Though Urena recently rejoined the bullpen, that’s still left the club relatively thin in terms of capable multi-inning arms in their relief corps. That’s a void Anderson should have no trouble filling, as he’s swung between the rotation and bullpen on a regular basis as needed since 2020 after spending the early part of his career as a prototypical back-end starter with the Diamondbacks and Brewers. The results have left much to be desired over the past half decade, but the veteran should be well-equipped to soak up innings for a Rangers club that has no real hope of defending its 2023 World Series championship in the postseason this year as they navigate the stretch run.

Latest On Rangers’ Rotation, Trade Possibilities

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The Rangers have patched together their rotation for much of the season as they anticipate the returns of veterans Max Scherzer, Tyler Mahle and Jacob deGrom. Scherzer has already returned. Mahle is set to make his fifth minor league rehab start today and should make his Rangers debut before long. It’ll be a bit longer before deGrom makes it back, but he tossed a 40-pitch bullpen just yesterday, per Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com. Left-hander Cody Bradford is on a minor league rehab assignment and expected to return soon, though Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that he’ll work out of the bullpen upon his return. Texas reinstated righty Dane Dunning from the injured list earlier today, too. He’s in the ’pen for now but could move back to a starting role depending on how the next week goes.

What once was a starting pitching hodgepodge looks increasingly enviable. If Mahle is cleared to return after today’s start, he’ll join Scherzer, Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Michael Lorenzen, Andrew Heaney and Dunning as viable rotation options, with Bradford in the bullpen and deGrom looming on the horizon. That’s nine MLB-caliber starters, to say nothing of veteran starter Jose Ureña (who started six games but is in the bullpen presently).

With so many options suddenly at their fingertips, there’s been plenty of speculation about the Rangers trading from that stockpile of arms — even as they narrow the deficit in the postseason hunt. Texas has won four straight games. The Mariners have lost three straight. The Rangers now sit only three games back of the first-place Astros in the West and are just 5.5 games out in the Wild Card hunt. They’re not going to operate as a pure seller, but Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic suggests that Lorenzen or perhaps even Gray could be moved before Tuesday’s trade deadline.

Lorenzen, 32, signed with the Rangers on a one-year, $4.5MM deal in spring training. It was a bargain price for a veteran righty coming off a solid season, and he’s proven to be well worth the investment. He’s pitched 97 innings over the course of 17 starts and turned in a 3.53 ERA. Lorenzen’s 18.5% strikeout rate and 11.6% walk rate both leave plenty to be desired and point to some likely ERA regression, but he’s been precisely the type of veteran rotation stabilizer the Rangers hoped to be acquiring when signing him.

As of deadline day, Lorenzen will have just $1.5MM of that base salary yet to be paid out. He’s already picked up $800K of innings-based incentives and will get another $200K when he reaches 100 innings, likely in his next start. Assuming that comes with the Rangers — he’s their probable starter Saturday — a new team would be on the hook for the remaining portion of his base and additional incentives he’d unlock by reaching 120 innings ($300K), 140 innings ($350K), 160 innings ($400K) and 180 innings ($450K). He’s on pace to barely reach that final milestone.

At most, a team adding Lorenzen would pay around $1.5MM in base salary and an additional $1.5MM worth of incentives. If Lorenzen is pitching well enough to reach that 180-inning mark, it’d be considered money well spent. If nothing else, a budget-conscious team looking to add a stable starter (e.g. Twins, Guardians) could view Lorenzen as an affordable option.

Gray would be a more surprising trade candidate. He’s in the third season of a four-year, $56MM contract that’s paying $13MM both this year and next. Thus far, he’s posted 94 innings of 3.73 ERA ball on the season. While Gray’s 19.7% strikeout rate is the lowest of his career (aside from the shortened 2020 season), his 5.8% walk rate is a career-best mark. He’s still averaging 95 mph with his heater, while his opponents’ chase rate and swinging-strike rate are roughly in line with his 2022-23 marks.

Rosenthal also cites a pair of names the Rangers would prefer to hang onto even as they ponder trading from their rotation depth: Eovaldi and Heaney. The former is well on his way to vesting a $20MM player option for the 2025 season. That option would decrease his trade value — a new team would be stuck with the $20MM in the event of a major, post-trade injury. Beyond that, Eovaldi has been one of the team’s best arms this season, notching a 3.31 ERA, 24.6% strikeout rate and 6.1% walk rate in 106 innings. He’d likely be ticketed for their playoff rotation, should they get there. And, even if they don’t, the Rangers might simply hope Eovaldi stays healthy and enjoys pitching in his home state enough that he’d pick up that player option for the 2025 season.

As for Heaney, he’s turned things around after a shaky first season in Texas. The veteran southpaw boasts a 3.60 ERA, 23.5% strikeout rate and 6.8% walk rate in exactly 100 innings. He’s a free agent at season’s end, so one would imagine he’s an on-paper trade candidate in this scenario where Texas deals from its excess. However, the Rangers don’t have an established left-hander in their bullpen. Brock Burke was excellent in 2022 but took a step back in ’23 and was optioned earlier this season after being shelled through 9 2/3 innings. Rookie Jacob Latz has a solid 3.68 ERA in 36 2/3 innings, but he’s walked 13.5% of his opponents. Bradford could possibly fill that role, but he’s yet to return from a stress reaction in his ribcage.

Heaney has experience pitching both as a starter and reliever, including during his time with Texas. He’s throwing well right now but would likely be pushed out of a theoretical postseason rotation. In that setting, he could slide into the bullpen and match up against tough lefties and/or provide multiple innings in long relief.

Rangers Activate Max Scherzer

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TODAY: The Rangers officially activated Scherzer from the 60-day injured list this morning. Right-hander Yerry Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.

June 22: Max Scherzer’s 2024 debut date has now been set, as the future Hall-of-Famer told reporters (including MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry) that he will be activated from the 60-day injured list tomorrow to start the Rangers’ game against the Royals.  It will mark Scherzer’s first action in a big league contest since he pitched three scoreless innings in Game 3 of last year’s World Series.

Last December, the 39-year-old underwent surgery to fix a herniated disc in his back, and the initial timeline indicated Scherzer would be out of action until June or July.  As it happened, Scherzer looked to be on pace to handily beat that projection and was seemingly close to returning by mid-May before a nerve problem in his thumb extended his time on the IL.  Texas had optimistically put Scherzer on only the 15-day IL to begin the season, but eventually shifted him to the 60-day once it became clear he wouldn’t be back by the end of May.

However, all systems are now go for the veteran righty to make his return.  Scherzer has made two Triple-A starts during his most recent rehab assignment, including a 79-pitch, 4 2/3 inning effort last Saturday.  Texas manager Bruce Bochy told Landry and other reporters that Scherzer wouldn’t be on a specific pitch count in Sunday’s game, though it stands to reason that the club might somewhat try to ease Scherzer back into action.

With Scherzer nearing reinstatement from the 60-day IL, the Rangers are a step closer to finally having their first-choice rotation.  Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle could both make their own returns from Tommy John surgery rehab around the start of August, while Cody Bradford continues to recover from a stress fracture in his rib.  On paper the Rangers might have too many rotation options if absolutely everyone is healthy, yet that scenario is probably unlikely given how many health issues Texas has had to navigate over the last year.

Bochy said that Scherzer will take Dane Dunning’s spot in the rotation, moving Dunning back to relief work.  Dunning began 2023 in the bullpen but soon resumed his usual starting role while filling in for various injured starters, primarily deGrom.  Working solely as a starter in 2024, Dunning has a 4.73 ERA over 59 innings.

Rangers Place Dane Dunning On Injured List

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1:45pm: The Rangers have now made it official, announcing Dunning’s injury as a right rotator cuff strain. White was recalled and Leiter was added as the 27th man, as expected. They also activated outfielder Robbie Grossman, who they acquired from the White Sox earlier today, while optioning infielder Jonathan Ornelas.

1:30pm: The Rangers are going to place right-hander Dane Dunning on the 15-day injured list due to a shoulder issue, manager Bruce Bochy tells Kennedi Landry of MLB.com, who relayed the info on X.

It’s unclear how long the Rangers expect Dunning to be out of action, but it’s an unfortunate development for the team regardless as their rotation depth has been continually thinned out this year. The club knew that Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle wouldn’t be available in the first half, as both of them underwent Tommy John surgery last year. Then Max Scherzer required back surgery in the offseason, which was going to force him to miss some time as well.

Last week, Nathan Eovaldi landed on the IL due to a groin strain Cody Bradford due to a rib stress fracture. Now Dunning will follow him due to this shoulder issue. Between those two, Scherzer, deGrom and Mahle, they have a full rotation on the injured list at the moment.

That leaves Jon Gray, Michael Lorenzen and Andrew Heaney as the healthy core of the starting staff at the moment. José Ureña had been working out of the bullpen but started yesterday and threw five innings against the A’s.

The club has a double-header today, with Lorenzen taking the ball for the first contest. Jack Leiter is planned for the “27th man” and the starter for the second game, though Owen White is coming up as well, per Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today. White will seemingly be the corresponding move for Dunning’s IL placement.

With Dunning now on the shelf, the Rangers will have to decide on how they want to structure the back end of their rotation, with Ureña, White and Leiter presumably in contention for the two spots behind Gray, Lorenzen and Heaney.

Ureña has a 3.86 earned run average this year but, as mentioned, most of that has come out of the bullpen. He had a 6.45 ERA in ten starts last year and hasn’t posted an ERA below 5.00 since 2018. Leiter first major league start didn’t go especially well, with seven earned runs allowed in 3 2/3 innings. He has struck out 37% of Triple-A batters faced this year but also allowed six home runs in just 25 1/3 innings. White allowed five earned runs in four big league innings last year and currently has a 5.70 ERA in Triple-A this year.

Scherzer once seemed to be on track to return in early May but that plan has hit a snag. It was reported a week ago that he experienced some thumb soreness while on a rehab assignment and was going to be shut down for a bit. General manager Chris Young said today that Scherzer won’t throw again until the soreness is completely gone, per Wilson on X.

His rehab outing was on April 24, so he’s now two weeks removed from that. The longer his current shutdown lasts will presumably require more of a ramp-up once he is able to get back on track. As of now, that leaves him a question mark until there’s progress with the thumb soreness.

All that points to the Rangers cobbling a rotation together for a bit, until Eovaldi or Dunning are able to rejoin the mix. Despite the rotation challenges, the Rangers are 21-16 and half a game ahead of the Mariners for the division lead in the American League West.

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