LATEST NEWS

July 6: INF Josh Smith day-to-day with lower body soreness
The Rangers infielder is out for the second day in a row with what Smith called a “glute thing.” Manager Bruce Bochy said it’s the same soreness that caused Smith to miss a few games back in June, but he’s expected to return hopefully for the series finale against the Rays on Sunday. Smith is enjoying a career year in his third big league season, slashing .293/.386/.451 while filling in for the injured Josh Jung at third base.

July 5: RHP Josh Sborz activated from 15-day injured list; RHP Dane Dunning (right shoulder tightness) placed on 15-day IL
Sborz is seeing his first Major League action since May 8 at Oakland, when he exited Game 2 of a doubleheader against the A’s with right shoulder tightness. At the time, his velocity was down 3-4 mph across all his pitches. It was his second shoulder-related IL stint this season. He made seven relief appearances on rehab with Triple-A Round Rock, allowing six runs in 6 2/3 innings.

Sborz has made just seven appearances for the Rangers this season, posting a 1.69 ERA across 5 1/3 innings.

Dunning is also on the injured list with his second shoulder-related injury of the season, but manager Bruce Bochy said he does not expect the issue to keep Dunning sidelined for long.

• All Rangers transactions

10-DAY/15-DAY INJURED LIST

RHP Dane Dunning (right shoulder tightness)
Expected return: Late July
This is Dunning’s second shoulder-related IL stint this season, following another appearance on the injured list from May 5-12 with a right rotator cuff strain. The right-hander has posted a 4.71 ERA across 15 games (12 starts) this season for Texas. He opened the year in the rotation but recently transitioned to the bullpen when Max Scherzer returned from his injury.

“I don’t think it’ll be long,” said manager Bruce Bochy. “With the sore right shoulder, his stuff was down a little bit the last time out. We just wanted to give him time to get that cleared up. We think he’ll be fine when the time is up.” (Last updated: July 5)

OF Evan Carter (lower back soreness)
Expected return: Late July
Carter flew to Arizona last week and has begun swinging a bat for the first time since he landed on the injured list. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said that he was expected to face live pitching sometime in the next few days.

Bochy said on June 4 that Carter’s back injury is a little worse than they thought. They initially thought lower back tightness for Carter but it is now being classified as a stress reaction, according to Bochy. The rookie outfielder may miss another month or more as he recovers.

Carter missed seven games from May 11-17 with back soreness, but returned without an IL stint initially. He missed time in the Minors with a stress fracture in his back in 2021, so the Rangers have been cautious with him.

Bochy believes that the injury has been bothering Carter more than he let on, and that’s affected his performance at the plate, where he hit just .095/.156/.143 over his last 15 games. (Last updated: July 2)

60-DAY INJURED LIST

3B Josh Jung (right wrist fracture)
Expected return: July
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Jung will be shut down from baseball activities for the next week in order to get things under control with his surgically repaired wrist. Jung saw a specialist on July 1. He hasn’t swung a bat since his last rehab assignment game on June 20 and is still sore, but everything remains fine structurally in the wrist. Jung’s return will be delayed until after the All-Star break.

Jung went 4-for-17 with five strikeouts in four rehab games with Triple-A Round Rock but was then shut down with tendon inflammation above his surgery site. It initially appeared as if his return was imminent, but the continued soreness delayed his swing tests and eventually led to the shutdown.

“We’ve had like 18 different timelines, so I’m just taking it day by day,” Jung said.

Jung was hit by a pitch on his right hand on April 1 as he swung at the ball. Rangers general manager Chris Young said Jung had surgery on April 2, but when the surgeon went in for the procedure, Jung's wrist revealed a bit more extensive damage than they were hoping. Jung was transferred to the 60-day IL on April 8. (Last updated: July 3)

RHP Tyler Mahle (right UCL repair surgery)
Expected return: Late July
Mahle will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on July 2, the Rangers announced. Manager Bruce Bochy said it’s expected to be around 35-40 pitches depending on how stressful his first couple of innings are.

Mahle underwent Tommy John surgery when he was with the Twins last May, and the Rangers signed him to a two-year, $22 million deal this offseason. The injury ruined a promising 2023 season with Minnesota, as Mahle posted a 3.16 ERA with 28 strikeouts over five starts. Mahle was officially moved to the 60-day IL at the start of the regular season. (Last updated: July 2)

LHP Cody Bradford (lower back strain/stress fracture on rib)
Expected return: July
Bradford began throwing off a mound after arriving at the Rangers' complex in Arizona the last week of June in an effort to build up to a return after the All-Star break. He will likely return as a reliever instead of a starter when he is activated.

He originally landed on the injured list with a lower back strain after he was unable to throw a bullpen between starts. The initial plan was for him to miss the minimum 15 days, but after further evaluations, doctors found a “very small” stress fracture on the 12th rib on the right side, according to manager Bruce Bochy. There is still no firm timeline, but Bradford believes he’s well on his way back to the mound.

The 26-year-old lefty had been Texas' best starter on the young season, having gone 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA over his first three starts. (Last updated: July 2)

RHP Cole Winn (right shoulder sprain)
Expected return: TBD
The Rangers announced on June 23 that Winn would go to the Major League 15-day IL with right shoulder discomfort, retroactive to June 18. Winn was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on June 18, but informed the club that he was experiencing shoulder discomfort after he rejoined the Express. Team doctors then determined that he had a right shoulder sprain, and he was moved to the 60-day IL on June 26.

His last outing before the injury was with the big league club, so his option is now voided. (Last updated: June 26)

RHP Jacob deGrom (right UCL repair surgery)
Expected return: After the All-Star break
deGrom said he threw off a mound for the first time on June 17. His bullpen session included about 15 pitches, all fastballs.

“I’m feeling really good,” deGrom said. “[The bullpen] went really well, so one day at a time. I’ve got two more times this week and then just keep moving forward. I definitely want to be out there. That's the hardest thing, you want to be out there competing. But I've been through this before, so I knew what to expect and it was a long road. The main thing was just trying to be smart, not doing too much. We've been sticking to the program. Everything has felt good along the way.”

He began playing catch on Feb. 12 and resumed again on the first official day of spring workouts on Feb. 14 -- just under eight months after surgery to repair a torn right UCL that ended his 2023 season. It was the second similar operation for the 35-year-old deGrom, who had Tommy John surgery following his first professional season in 2010.

General manager Chris Young pointed out that timelines are fluid when it comes to injuries, but he also said the ace is progressing well in his rehab with an eye on returning around August.

deGrom was officially transferred to the 60-day injured list on March 22. (Last updated: June 17)

RHP Austin Pruitt (right knee medial meniscus injury)
Expected return: TBD
In another blow to the Rangers' bullpen depth, Pruitt landed on the injured list after being evaluated at the beginning of the club’s nine-game homestand that started on April 23. He has posted a 12.46 ERA across four relief appearances for Texas this season.

Pruitt was transferred to the 60-day injured list on May 21. (Last updated: May 21)

RHP Carson Coleman (Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: July
Coleman was selected by the Rangers in the 2023 Rule 5 Draft from the Yankees. He did not pitch in 2023 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. In 2022, Coleman was named the Eastern League “Reliever of the Year” after going 2-3 with 15 saves and a 2.86 ERA across 35 relief appearances for Double-A Somerset. (Last updated: March 9)

• More injury news