This story was excerpted from Kennedi Landry’s Rangers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ARLINGTON -- The Rangers went into the All-Star break with a pair of series wins over the Angels and Astros on the road, pulling to within five games of first place in the American League West at a 46-50 record.

It’s a long way from where the reigning World Series champs expected to be by the time they got to the break, but there's still a lot of baseball left to play. The clubhouse has never wavered in their belief that they will bounce back and rattle off 10 or 12 wins in a row.

Here’s where the Rangers stand as they enter the second half:

Second-half goal: Get healthy, go on a run
The Rangers are currently five games back of first place in the AL West after a pair of brutal stretches in May and June, but again, they’re not fully out of the race. A lot of things need to go right for the Rangers to win the division, but the No. 1 goal remains: getting healthy.

Over the next five weeks, Texas will hopefully get back a pair of impact bats in Josh Jung (right wrist fracture) and Evan Carter (lower back), two veteran starting pitchers in Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle, along with even more pitching depth in Cody Bradford. All the pieces are there for Texas to go on a major run and win chunks of games to get back into the thick of things.

Likely Trade Deadline strategy: Lightly sell
To state the obvious once again, Texas is five games out of first place in the AL West. It’s not a lost cause yet, but the front office will soon need to make a decision one way or another.

It’s highly likely that they just stand pat and attempt to win the division with the group that they have, but it would be irresponsible to not consider shipping off some veteran guys on expiring deals like relievers Kirby Yates and David Robertson or starters Michael Lorenzen and Andrew Heaney.

The two high-leverage relievers are likely to stay. After all, trading them would seem like the Rangers are giving up completely. But Texas could have anywhere between five and nine healthy starting pitchers in the second half. It might just need to trade from a surplus anyway for roster construction purposes.

All that said, once again, the clubhouse has never wavered in their belief that they can start stringing some wins together. The three-way race atop the AL West could last well into September. The Rangers have to make a decision sooner rather than later.

Key player: 2B Marcus Semien
It’s easy to say one of the heavy hitters like Corey Seager or Adolis García, but Semien is truly the engine that gets the Rangers' offense rolling. The veteran infielder hit .261/.326/.443 with 11 home runs across the first 64 games through June 9 before falling into a weeks-long slump that he’s only recently clawed his way out of. Manager Bruce Bochy always trusts his guys, and he’s never wavered from Semien’s spot at the top of the lineup, but more consistent production from him could transform the Rangers’ struggling offense quickly. If Texas wants to avoid becoming sellers at the Deadline, it very well may begin and end with Semien’s contributions.

Prospect to watch: RHP Emiliano Teodo
The Rangers' No. 15 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, Teodo most recently stunned at the All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field as he became the first pitcher in Futures Game history to toss two perfect frames in the annual event. It’s been the best season of Teodo’s professional career so far, as he’s posted a 1.71 ERA through 14 starts (68 1/3 innings) with Double-A Frisco. So far this season, he has 89 strikeouts while walking 34 batters and a 1.13 WHIP. He’s still maybe a year or two out from joining the big league club in Arlington, but he could be in Round Rock sooner rather than later. It would no doubt be a pitching development win for Texas if he continues advancing.