DALLAS — The Texas Rangers clinched their playoff berth on Saturday by defeating the Seattle Mariners 6-1, finishing the regular season with a record of 90-72. However, since they were unable to win another game in that series, the Houston Astros earned the title of AL West champions.
The Rangers enter October as the 2nd Wild Card seed, which has earned them a chance to play at Tropicana Field against the Tampa Bay Rays. With their playoff lives at stake right off the bat, Texas had to make a decision on their roster for the best-of-three set in St. Petersburg.
Playoff rosters are limited to 26 players, down from 27 at the end of the regular season.
Here's who made the cut, as announced by the Rangers on Tuesday morning:
Hitters/position players
Infielders: Nathaniel Lowe, Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, Josh Jung, Josh Smith
Outfielders: Robbie Grossman, Evan Carter, Leody Taveras, Adolis Garcia, Travis Jankowski
Catchers: Jonah Heim, Mitch Garver, Austin Hedges
Pitchers
Starters: Jordan Montgomery, Nathan Eovaldi, Dane Dunning
Relievers: Andrew Heaney, Martin Perez, Chris Stratton, Matt Bush, Brock Burke, Josh Sborz, Will Smith, Aroldis Chapman, Grant Anderson, Jose Leclerc
The notable absences from the roster were reliever Jonathan Hernandez, who is reportedly battling a shoulder injury, and infielder Ezequiel Duran, who has seen limited playing time in recent weeks.
MLB roster rules for the postseason state that 13 pitchers are the maximum, but the team can make selections based on who is on the 40-man roster with those in the organization and on the 40-man roster before September 1 being eligible.
Special cases, such as Evan Carter being added to the 40-man roster to make his MLB debut after an injury to Adolis Garcia, allow teams to petition the league to include players who weren’t on the 40-man roster to the playoff roster.
Texas is carrying three catchers into the postseason, buoyed by the fact that Mitch Garver has been solid in the second half as the designated hitter. With the exception of one game, Garver has been the DH in every game that he’s played in September. During that time, Garver has slashed .276/.400/.494 with six homers and 14 RBI while scoring 15 runs.
It’s unlikely that manager Bruce Bochy would want to risk the chance of losing the DH spot in the event of a late inning substitution. On the other hand, Jonah Heim has been rock solid in assuming duties behind the dish for every game he’s played. Austin Hedges started two games as the backstop in September, but, as a backup catcher, he’s a great defensive option.
Texas could have opted to switch Hedges out for Sam Huff, who is also on the 40-man and considered the better offensive option over Hedges, but with Heim likely to start all three games with the season on the line, Texas likely wanted to stick with the defensive construction.
The same could be said for Josh Smith and Travis Jankowski as bench options. Both have been useful for giving the regular players days off or to get them off their feet when a game has gotten out of hand. In a series where just two losses can send everyone home, the best players will stay on the field.
Jankowski's speed off the bench and baserunning savvy is an invaluable tool late in a close game.
As far as the bullpen is concerned, Bush is something of a wild card for the Wild Card. Called up with two days to play in the regular season, Bush didn’t make an appearance in any game for Texas but could debut in the playoffs.
After being released from the Milwaukee Brewers after two horrendous half-year stints with the National League club, the 37-year old former Rangers closer returned to the organization and finished the minor league season with the Round Rock Express. In seven appearances with the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate, Bush threw 9 ⅓ innings without giving up a run and striking out 12. His fastball still plays at the Triple-A level, but Texas can’t afford to have the same Bush that flopped for playoff-bound Milwaukee show up during the playoffs.
Bush had his contract selected when the Rangers were desperate for another arm as Gray hit the shelf with a forearm strain in the season’s final week. It’s possible he remains on the roster for the Wild Card series with Texas thin on impact relievers.
2023 co-closers Will Smith and Aroldis Chapman were not great for the Rangers down the stretch. Smith posted an ERA of 7.94 in August and an ERA of 6.75 in September. Chapman, meanwhile, was great for the Rangers in 13 games in August, but faltered mightily in September, posting an ERA of 6.75 in nine games.
It’s been Jose Leclerc who shouldered the high-leverage situations for the Rangers in the season’s final two weeks, and he’s been great for the club since August, pitching to a 1.99 ERA in the last two months of the season. But Leclerc can’t do it alone, and with Andrew Heaney, Martin Perez and Cody Bradford all potentially being used for multiple innings for starters on short leashes (especially Eovaldi), Texas needs to find other reliable high-leverage options.
After an up and down year, Josh Sborz provided a glimmer of hope in the two games he pitched in the series in Seattle, giving up just one hit in 2 ⅔ innings of work. Up until September, trade deadline acquisition Chris Stratton had been outstanding for Texas, but he was dreadful down the stretch, giving up four runs and seven hits in his final two outings that totaled just 0.2 innings.
It's going to be all hands on deck for this best-of-three set. It’s just a matter of whether or not the Rangers can find the best hand to beat a 99-win Tampa Bay team in the Rays' house.
Do you think the Rangers have the players in place to make a run in the postseason? Share your thoughts with Matt on Twitter @FisherWritesMLB.