Bradford (back) was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his rib Friday and is expected to be sidelined for about a month, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
The left-hander wasn't progressing as expected in his recovery after landing on the shelf April 14 with lower-back soreness, and a rib stress fracture is the apparent culprit. Bradford will now be sidelined through at least late May, and a more specific timeline should come into focus as he ramps up his rehab work.
Heaney (0-3) took the loss Thursday, allowing four runs on five hits and no walks over six innings against the Mariners. He struck out seven.
Although Heaney only gave up five hits, three went for extra bases, including two-run home runs by Luis Urias and Ty France. Heaney's now surrendered multiple long balls in back-to-back starts. While Thursday's start marked Heaney's first time pitching into the sixth, he's allowed multiple runs in all but one outing this year. He's tentatively scheduled for a matchup with the Nationals next week.
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Rangers' Josh Sborz: Tosses scoreless frame
Rotowire
Sborz threw a scoreless ninth inning in Thursday's 4-3 loss to Seattle.
Sborz, who was activated off the injured list Thursday, retired the side in order, needing just nine pitches. He was placed on the IL due to a shoulder injury April 7 after just three appearances. The back end of the bullpen has changed since then -- Kirby Yates replaced Jose Leclerc as the closer -- but Sborz should remain part of the setup group.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Homers in loss
Rotowire
Smith started at shortstop and went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 4-3 loss to Seattle.
Smith launched his first homer of the season in the fourth inning, which tied the game momentarily before the Mariners plated two a half-inning later. He got the start at shortstop while primary starter Corey Seager served as DH a day after he left a game with a bruised shin. If Seager is limited to DH for a bit, Smith will be the primary fill-in at short. If Seager is ready for a defensive role, then Smith will go back to sharing third base with Ezequiel Duran. Smith is batting .292/.393/.417 over 84 plate appearances, much better than his previous two MLB seasons.
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Rangers' Corey Seager: Hitless as DH
Rotowire
Seager started at designated hitter and went 0-for-3 with a walk in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Mariners.
Seager, who was removed from Wednesday's game with a bruised shin, was available a day later for DH duties. It's unclear if he'll be limited to DH for a stretch. If so, Josh Smith will fill in at shortstop.
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Rangers' Nathaniel Lowe: Goes deep in loss
Rotowire
Lowe went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 4-3 loss Seattle.
Lowe reached down for a slider low in the zone to blast his first home run of the season. The first baseman has played in all five games since being activated off the injured list last Saturday.
Rangers' Max Scherzer: Next rehab outing set for Tuesday
Rotowire
Scherzer (back) is scheduled to make his next rehab start Tuesday with Double-A Frisco, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Scherzer will look to push up his pitch count in his second rehab outing after he struck out four over 2.1 innings (52 pitches) while allowing three earned runs on five hits and no walks in his 2024 debut Wednesday with Triple-A Round Rock. Since Scherzer missed all of spring training while completing his recovery from Dec. 15 surgery to address a herniated disc in his back, he could require an additional rehab start after Tuesday to get fully stretched out. The right-hander looks on track to return from the 15-day injured list to make his season debut for the Rangers in early May.
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Rangers' Leody Taveras: Gets break Thursday
Rotowire
Taveras is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mariners.
Taveras will sit for the first time since April 7, breaking a stretch of 16 consecutive starts. The day off could probably do Taveras some good, as he's gone hitless in 12 at-bats over his last four games to drop his batting average to .200. Evan Carter will shift over from his usual spot in left field to spell Taveras in center.
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Rangers' Jonah Heim: Resting Thursday
Rotowire
Heim is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mariners.
Heim looks to be receiving some routine maintenance as the Rangers and Mariners wrap up their series with a day game after a night game. Andrew Knizner will get the starting nod behind the plate.
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Rangers' Grant Anderson: Heads back to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Rangers optioned Anderson to Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday.
Anderson's latest stint in the majors lasted just one day, and he struck out two in a scoreless inning in Wednesday's win over the Mariners. He's being replaced in the bullpen by Josh Sborz (shoulder), who was reinstated from the 15-day injured list.
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Rangers' Josh Sborz: Returns from IL
Rotowire
The Rangers activated Sborz (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Thursday.
Sborz made one rehab appearance with Double-A Frisco on Tuesday, and that was enough to convince the Rangers he was ready to go. The reliever had three scoreless outings for the Rangers earlier this month before going down with a rotator cuff strain. Sborz should regain his high-leverage relief role immediately.
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Rangers' Corey Seager: Cleared for DH duties Thursday
Rotowire
Seager (shin) will serve as the Rangers' designated hitter and No. 2 batter in Thursday's game against the Mariners.
Seager was removed late in Wednesday's 5-1 win over Seattle after getting hit by a pitch in the seventh inning. According to Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, manager Bruce Bochy said after the contest that Seager's left shin "swelled up pretty good," but the 29-year-old evidently feels good enough Thursday to give it a go, albeit in a non-defensive role. Josh Smith will take over Seager's usual duties at shortstop.
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Rangers' Wyatt Langford: Logs three-hit night in win
Rotowire
Langford went 3-for-3 with a walk, double and run scored in Wednesday's 5-1 win over Seattle.
The three-hit performance was the first of the season for Langford. The double was just his fourth extra-base hit over 88 at-bats (.318 slugging, .057 ISO), but the rookie outfielder is getting on base with consistency (.340 OBP, 10.2% walk rate). He's reached base safely in 19 of 23 games and is hitting .261 with a .658 OPS to open his MLB career.
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Rangers' Max Scherzer: Tosses 52 pitches on rehab
Rotowire
Scherzer (back) allowed three runs on five hits while striking out four over 2.1 innings in a rehab appearance for Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday.
Scherzer kicked off a rehab assignment Wednesday, giving up a pair of home runs while running his pitch count to 52, including 11 swinging strikes. That's in line with his progression after throwing 40 in his most recent live batting practice session. Scherzer's velocity was down across the board, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com, but that is to be expected from the right-hander, who is working his way back from offseason back surgery.
Garcia went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run against Seattle in Wednesday's 5-1 victory.
Garcia put Texas on the board with a 416-foot solo shot in the fourth inning. It was his third long ball over his past six contests, and he is tied for fourth in the majors with seven homers on the season. Garcia has added 23 RBI, 18 runs, four steals and a .312/.359/.613 slash line.
