Freeman recalled, Ahlstrom's contract selected in flurry of moves

ST. LOUIS -- In a flurry of roster moves ahead of Monday’s series opener at Busch Stadium, the Rangers recalled infielder Cody Freeman and right-hander Luis Curvelo and selected the contract of left-hander Robby Ahlstrom from Triple-A Round Rock. To make room for the trio on the active roster, outfielder Sam Haggerty was placed on the bereavement list, right-hander Gavin Collyer was optioned to Triple-A and righty Chris Martin (right shoulder impingement) was placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to Sunday).

To make room for Ahlstrom on the 40-man roster, left-hander Robert Garcia (left rotator cuff inflammation) was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

Ahlstrom will be making his Major League debut in his first appearance, and Freeman is returning from a lumbar stress reaction suffered in Spring Training. He was activated from the injured list due to that injury on Thursday and optioned to Round Rock, but Haggerty’s absence necessitated his quick return to the big leagues.

“He’s going to be a kind of off-the-bench utility player,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “Obviously provides a really good at-bat off the bench, really ‘grindy’ at-bat. It’s not easy to pinch-hit. I think he’s going to be good at it.”

Freeman hit .228 with a .600 OPS and three homers for the Rangers in limited action last season before dealing with the back injury and a setback while rehabbing early this season. All smiles in the Rangers' clubhouse on Monday afternoon, he was eager to be back in the Majors.

“Learned a lot about patience and trust, and it was a long process,” he said. “Timing feels back, I feel good, and the back feels great.”

Ahlstrom, who was traded to the Rangers from the Yankees in 2022, has pitched parts of five seasons in the Minors. He has a 2.76 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 29 1/3 Triple-A innings this season and will provide Schumaker both with flexibility out of the bullpen and a weapon in the short term against a Cardinals lineup which featured six left-handed hitters on Monday night.

“We were gonna call up the best option, and he happened to be the best option,” Schumaker said. “He’s also getting righties out, but he’s been really good against lefties. Throws 96 with a really good slider. Throws a changeup, but those two pitches are his weapons.”

“It’s been a lifelong dream,” said Ahlstrom, whose parents were traveling from his native Oregon and whose brother, Tommy, (who he called first with the news) was inbound from Texas for his debut. His girlfriend and “some buddies” were also expected to descend on Busch Stadium.

“I asked him about my sports coat,” Ahlstrom explained, referencing the 2002 baseball movie "The Rookie" about the life of Jim Morris. “He said, ‘Oh, there must be a dress code, huh?’ He knew what I was getting at, so that was pretty cool.”

Martin previously missed 30 games this season with a similar shoulder injury and has been largely ineffective since being activated on May 19, recording no strikeouts while surrendering four runs in four innings with seven hits and two walks allowed.

Curvelo has made 21 appearances for Texas over the past two seasons, posting a 5.63 career ERA exclusively from the bullpen. He also recently returned to Triple-A after enduring his own shoulder and biceps issues and has allowed five runs in eight innings for Round Rock.