The status of a few injured Texas Rangers
Let’s talk about three Texas Rangers are are dealing with injuries.
Catcher Kyle Higashioka left Tuesday’s game due to a hamstring strain, and was unavailable for Wednesday’s game. That normally would necessitate a roster move, but fortunately for the Rangers, utility infielder Cody Freeman is on the active roster, and Freeman spent a fair amount of time from 2021-23 catching. That conversion didn’t take, and Freeman is back to just playing the infield now, but the fact he did do a fair amount of catching in the not too distant past means that he’s a more viable emergency catcher option than most of the non-catcher emergency options. The broadcast said that, prior to Wednesday’s game, Freeman caught a Kumar Rocker bullpen just to get some rust off, in case he was needed behind the plate during the game.
Higashioka reportedly has a half of a Grade One hamstring strain, which apparently is not as bad as a Grade One hamstring strain, and the hope is that with today’s off day, he can avoid an injured list stint. If he were to go on the i.l., that would present a problem for the Rangers, as their catchers at AAA Round Rock are currently minor league lifers Konner Piotto and Cooper Johnson. Were Higashioka to miss time, Texas would probably look to get a veteran off of someone else’s AAA roster.
DH Joc Pederson, currently on the 60 10 day injured list due to a fractured wrist, is heading out on a rehab assignment today with AA Frisco. If all goes well, he could return to the team on Monday, when the Rangers are in Anaheim for the first game of a seven game road trip on the West Coast.
Pederson got off to a very bad start to the season, but he’s got a lengthy track record of hitting righthanded pitchers, and one would expect that he will be able to provide a boost once he returns to the lineup at the DH spot. Since he’s on the 60 day injured list, the Rangers will have to clear a 40 man roster spot once he’s activated.
Finally, reliever Josh Sborz, on the 60 day injured list after offseason shoulder surgery, is currently out rehabbing. His rehab is going slowly — he threw 26 pitches for Round Rock on July 12, 19 pitches for Frisco on July 18, and then 29 pitches for Frisco on July 22.
Sborz can spend up to 30 days out on a rehab assignment, and one would think the Rangers are probably in no rush to activate him, wanting to ensure he’s 100% and built back up before he returns. Sborz is out of options so he’ll have to return to the active major league roster when he returns from the injured list, and as with Pederson, a 40 man roster spot will have to be opened up for him.