The surging Texas Rangers may have lost a starting pitcher to injury Sunday. Right-hander Jon Gray exited his start against the Toronto Blue Jays (GameTracker) with right groin discomfort after throwing his warmup pitches before the first inning. He will presumably head for tests.
The injury puts Texas in a real bind on the mound. Righty Michael Lorenzen got hit hard Saturday and could not get out of the first inning. Long relievers José Ureña (4 1/3 innings and 60 pitches) and Dane Dunning (three innings and 63 pitches) both had to wear it Sunday, so the Rangers will have to cobble together at least eight innings with their short relievers Sunday.
Gray, 32, missed about two weeks with a right groin strain earlier this season, so this is the second time this year he's dealt with this issue. At the moment, the Rangers' rotation depth chart looks something like this:
RHP Jacob deGrom(rehabbing from Tommy John surgery)- RHP Nathan Eovaldi
- RHP Max Scherzer
RHP Tyler Mahle(rehabbing from Tommy John surgery)- RHP Jon Gray (exited Sunday's start with an injury)
- LHP Andrew Heaney
- RHP Michael Lorenzen
- RHP Dane Dunning
LHP Cody Bradford(rehabbing from a back injury)
Mahle is currently on a minor-league rehab assignment. He threw four innings and 55 pitches Saturday, and is looking at a few more rehab starts before joining the Rangers. That would put him on track to make his 2024 debut sometime in mid-August. deGrom has been throwing bullpen sessions and could begin a rehab assignment soon. He's several weeks away.
The trade deadline is 6 p.m. ET this coming Tuesday and the Rangers are said to be in the mix for offensive help, though they can certainly use some arms as well. Even a back-end innings guy would be a wise pickup just to help them get through the rest of the regular season as they make a push to get to the postseason, and properly defend their World Series title.
Even after back-to-back losses Friday and Saturday, the Rangers are 12-6 in their last 18 games, and have climbed to within 4 1/2 games in the AL West. It is possible only one AL West team will make the postseason. The second- and third-place teams may not be able to fall back on a wild-card spot given the current standings.
