Texas Rangers

The Jacob deGrom era in Texas has hit a rough patch.

After the ace pitcher left a start early against the Yankees due to forearm tightness, the Rangers placed him on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation.

Rangers general manager Chris Young provided an update on the situation, noting the organization will "see how it responds over the coming days."

DeGrom has made six starts in his first season with the Rangers, sporting a 2-0 record with a 2.67 ERA. He signed a five-year, $185 million contract with the team in the offseason after spending the first nine seasons of his career with the New York Mets.

When healthy, deGrom is possibly the best pitcher in MLB. The four-time All-Star has taken home two Cy Young Awards and has a lifetime record of 84-57 with a 2.53 ERA.

However, he has dealt with injury issues throughout his career, including a 13-month absence because of forearm tightness and a shoulder injury that made some wonder about his longevity. That impacted the Mets' decision not to retain deGrom, and side tightness during spring training this year raised some early alarms.

Still, deGrom is not likely to miss more than a start or two because of this latest injury.

The Rangers have gotten out to a 15-11 start and currently sit in first place in the AL West.

The Oakland Athletics have a possum living in the confines of their home stadium, which has led to visiting teams abandoning the broadcast booth for the time being.

However, at least one visiting team isn't afraid of the possum.

Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said during a radio appearance Tuesday that he'd welcome the possum into his clubhouse if the situation arises.

"Yeah, sure I would. Yeah, bring it in. You can bring an armadillo, too," Bochy said on The K&C Masterpiece on Audacy's 105.3 The Fan (Dallas/Fort Worth).

"... We have a room where we can keep him, break it out occasionally. A lot of clubhouses used to have this mongoose in there. It was a fake mongoose, but it would scare the living daylights out of players.

"They'd get their heads up near the cage, and they'd say, 'Be careful now, that mongoose is pretty aggressive.' And that thing would spring out. Boy, they'd run for the hills. We had a lot of fun with that."

The New York Mets' broadcast booth provided some commentary on the situation when their team rolled into Oakland.

If the possum decides to stick around the stadium for the next month, Bochy will have the opportunity to welcome him to the Rangers. Texas will visit Oakland for a four-game series from May 11-14.

Just four games into his Rangers' career and star pitcher Jacob deGrom has once again started to feel the sting of the injury bug.

DeGrom was removed from his start Monday night against the Kansas City Royals with soreness in his right wrist, the team announced. He had four no-hit innings going when he got checked on and eventually taken out of the game as a precaution.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported that deGrom is set to be reevaluated tomorrow. He didn't want to risk worsening it, as his wrist was only getting more sore as the game wore on.

Dane Dunning came on to replace the two-time Cy Young Award winner.

DeGrom's Texas career hasn't gotten off to the best of starts after signing a massive five-year, $185 million deal with the organization on Dec. 2. In his first three starts this season he has gone 1-0 with a 4.32 ERA with 27 strikeouts.

It's well below the standard he set over his nine seasons with the New York Mets, where he solidified himself as the best pitcher in MLB.

But injuries are nothing new for the 34-year-old, who has dealt with plenty of them over the past few years. Dating back to the 2020 season he has not played in more than 15 games, last season he pitched in just 11.

So Monday night is a scary sight for any Rangers fan, even if it's just a precaution.

DeGrom was a back-to-back Cy Young award winner in 2018 and 2019 when he dominated for the Mets to the tune of a 1.70 and 2.43 ERA, respectively. It was one of the best runs of any pitcher in recent memory.

And despite his injury history, whenever he does get on the mound he doesn't seem to take too much of a step back.

While facing the Kansas City Royals on Monday, Texas Rangers starting pitcher Andrew Heaney etched his name in the history books with an impressive feat.

Heaney tied an American League record by recording nine consecutive strikeouts during the game, joining Tyler Alexander (2020) and Doug Fister (2012), both of whom accomplished this feat while with the Detroit Tigers :

The 31-year-old threw five innings and allowed one unearned run and two hits while recording 10 strikeouts before leaving the mound. Reliever Brock Burke took over in the sixth.

Monday's outing was a much-needed confidence boost for Heaney after his disastrous first start of the season last Tuesday, in which he allowed seven earned runs in a 7-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. He surely will be looking to stay in top form when he makes his next start.

Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Smith was taken to the hospital Monday night after he took a pitch to the face against the Baltimore Orioles at Globe Life Field.

The Rangers announced that Smith was being transported to a local hospital to undergo more scans and testing on his face and jaw.

Smith was hit on the right side of his face by an 89 mph slider from reliever Danny Coulombe. He immediately fell down to the ground clutching his face before being attended to by a trainer. He was eventually able to walk off the field on his own.

Smith, 25, made his MLB debut last season with Texas, playing 73 games and hitting .197/.307/.249 with two homers and 16 RBI.

Jacob deGrom surprised many when he chose not to stay with the New York Mets to instead sign with the Texas Rangers this offseason, and he also didn't expect the move himself.

"It was never like, 'I'm outta here,'" deGrom told Jon Heyman of the New York Post after a bullpen session on Sunday. "You look at places you can see yourself playing. All I had known was New York, and part of me thought I'd be back."

DeGrom, who won two Cy Young Awards during his nine seasons with the Mets, also denied rumors that he disliked his time in New York.

"That kind of got out. [But] I really enjoyed my time in New York," deGrom said. "I have friends that will be lifelong friends in New York. We still keep in touch with a lot of people. That was all I knew for 13 years, including eight seasons in the big leagues. The fans and everyone were always great to me. It was never like 100 percent I'm leaving here."

The 34-year-old signed with the Rangers on a five-year, $185 million contract. Heyman noted that the Mets' offer to deGrom was in the neighborhood of $100-110 million, though he wasn't disappointed with that number and viewed his move simply as a business decision. His original $137.5 million deal with New York was well below the value of a pitcher of his caliber, but he dispelled the notion that he wasn't happy with his contract.

"That didn't bother me, that was ultimately my decision to sign that," he said. "I saw something about that I was mad about that. I was never mad about that. I went out after I signed that and I tried to give my best every year."

He continued: "As a kid you never imagine making that. The goal was to play and to have fun. I was fortunate to sign that first contract in New York. I was never really upset about that. That's life-changing money. To say I was upset about that, that was nowhere close to being true."

The four-time All-Star missed a few days during spring training with left side tightness, but he appears to be on track to be ready for the start of the regular season.

The Texas Rangers have reportedly signed teenage outfielder Pablo Guerrero, according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com and Ben Badler of Baseball America.

Guerrero is the son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr. and the younger brother of Toronto Blue Jays' star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Per Sanchez, the young Guerrero "has played some third base and in the outfield" and "projects to move to first base in the future."

"A new professional player in the family, congratulations to my son Pablo on his signing with the Texas Rangers," Guerrero Sr. said in a translated tweet (h/t Braydon Holmyard of the Toronto Star). "Keep working hard to fulfill your dreams!"

If the young Guerrero is anything like his father or brother, the Rangers found themselves a star. Guerrero Sr. was a nine-time All-Star and one-time AL MVP, blasting 449 home runs in his excellent career. He was famous for his violent swings, his ability to seemingly hit any pitch no matter how far out of the strike zone and his cannon of a right arm.

Guerrero Jr. is emerging as one of the game's best young sluggers, with 80 homers and 208 RBI across the past two seasons. At just 23, he appears to have a long and successful career ahead of him that will perhaps rival his Hall of Fame father.

The Rangers also reportedly agreed to a deal with the Bahamas' Sebastian Walcott, who ranks eighth in MLB.com's prospect rankings for 2023. They also reportedly added Cuban outfielder Geisel Cepeda, Dominican pitcher Snarlyn Encarnacion and Venezuelan catcher Juan Sulbaran.

Texas has clearly made it some level of priority to target siblings of current MLB players, with Luisangel Acuña—the younger brother of Atlanta Braves' star Ronald Acuña Jr.—already in the system.

The Texas Rangers have put together an impressive winter of free-agent signings, but they are reportedly still looking to add to a roster that could compete for the AL West crown in 2023.

As the Rangers search for a left fielder, the club is considering a trade for Pittsburgh Pirates star Bryan Reynolds, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

The Rangers' biggest signing came in the form of former New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom, who inked a five-year, $185 million deal. The team also signed pitchers Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney.

Additionally, Martín Pérez accepted the team's qualifying offer, keeping him on board for 2023, and they acquired Jake Odorizzi from the Atlanta Braves.

The Rangers will have an impressive rotation in 2023 with deGrom, Eovaldi, Heaney, Pérez, Odorizzi and Jon Gray available. They'll also have a solid lineup that features Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Adolis García.

However, the team's left field spot is still in question. Bubba Thompson is atop the depth chart after appearing in 55 games for the Rangers in 2022, slashing .265/.302/.312 with one home run, nine RBI and 18 stolen bases.

Josh H. Smith is listed behind Thompson, and he played in 73 games for the Rangers last season, slashing .197/.307/.249 with two home runs and 16 RBI.

With left field in flux, the Rangers could use a player like Reynolds, who has had an impressive four-year career with the Pirates. During the 2021 season, he earned his first All-Star selection and slashed .302/.390/.522 with 24 home runs, 90 RBI and five stolen bases in 159 games.

The 27-year-old followed that up hitting .262/.345/.461 with 27 home runs, 62 RBI and seven stolen bases in 145 games during the 2022 campaign.

Reynolds requested a trade from the Pirates last month after contract extension negotiations reached an impasse. He is a desirable trade candidate because he's under team control through the 2025 campaign.

While Reynolds wants out of Pittsburgh, "executives throughout baseball continue to express skepticism the Pirates will move him before Opening Day," per Rosenthal. Additionally, Texas faces plenty of competition for the outfielder as the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners and Miami Marlins are also interested in acquiring him.

If they can't trade for Reynolds, free agents AJ Pollock and David Peralta are among the options Texas is considering, according to Rosenthal.

Free agent starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and the Texas Rangers have agreed to a contract, per Robert Murray of FanSided.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com confirmed the news and reported that the deal is pending a physical.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported the two-year deal would be worth $34 million and has a vesting player option for a third season.

Eovaldi, who turns 33 years old on Feb. 13, went 6-3 with a 3.87 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 20 starts for the Boston Red Sox last season. He had 103 strikeouts in 109.1 innings.

Eovaldi is perhaps best known for his tremendous playoff performance for the World Series-winning 2018 Red Sox. In 22.1 innings, he posted a 1.61 ERA, including a pair of wins as a starter in Game 3 of both the American League Division and Championship Series.

He also threw six innings in relief during Game 3 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, keeping the Red Sox alive in an 18-inning marathon.

Ultimately, the Dodgers' Max Muncy hit a solo home run off Eovaldi to win the game, but the right-hander was still excellent with just two runs (only one earned) allowed alongside five strikeouts.

Eovaldi entered the major leagues in 2011 with the Dodgers and played for the Miami Marlins, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays before joining the Red Sox via trade in 2018.

In 2021, Eovaldi finished fourth in the American League Cy Young race after going 11-9 with 195 strikeouts and a 1.19 WHIP in 182.1 frames.

Now he'll join Texas, which has a deep rotation on paper after adding Eovaldi and two-time National League Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom to front a group that already includes Martin Perez and Jon Gray.