ARLINGTON -- With a flurry of roster moves this week, the Rangers got some much-needed reinforcements on both sides of the ball.
Nathan Eovaldi and Josh Jung got the headlines. Rightfully so for the pair of Rangers All-Stars. But another pitcher could be just as important down the stretch.
Rangers reliever Robert Garcia was activated from the injured list on Sept. 7 after missing the previous 122 games with left shoulder inflammation. On the surface, it’s just another reliever to add to the rotation door of middle relievers. But when he’s on, he’s a real asset.
Garcia retired the first nine batters he faced in three scoreless innings across his first three games after returning. He allowed a pair of infield singles in his appearance on Sunday against the Diamondbacks, but neither advanced past first base.
“He's been extremely valuable,” manager Skip Schumaker said of Garcia’s return. “We missed him for four months, and it's been hard to figure out some of these leverage innings without Garcia. We planned on him. We planned on a couple guys that have been hurt. We didn't know where we were going to get help, and for him to do what he's been doing has been extremely valuable. … I'm not really sure what it's going to look like -- well, I have an idea -- later in the game or if it's earlier in the game, but he's going to be used one way or the other in leverage.”
The lefty had a 3.38 ERA with three earned runs over eight innings, and a .185 opponent batting average in nine relief appearances before landing on the injured list. But even back then, Garcia didn’t quite have the control or command he typically displayed. He walked seven of the 34 batters he faced this season, only striking out six.
Since his return, he’s struck out four and walked none.
“He's done a lot of work in Arizona in these pitching labs and with our pitching group to get back to where he was, which is a really effective reliever, throwing strikes with every pitch,” Schumaker said. “His changeup is absolutely filthy, and he's throwing 95 miles an hour right now. So getting back into the zone is key. But he has stuff to strike guys out with, and that's why you put him in those spots. He's got real stuff.”
While All-Star Jacob Latz has been as close to automatic as possible since officially being named the closer, the rest of the staff has struggled to get the ball into his hand. That’s as much of an issue with the starters’ ability to go deep into games as it is about the middle relief options.
Rangers relievers have a 5.10 ERA between the fifth and seventh innings, good for the fourth-worst mark in the Majors. Their 1.41 WHIP in that same time frame is the sixth worst.
Garcia could help remedy that. Even though he was just 9-for-16 in save opportunities in 2025 -- his first season with the club -- he’s got high-leverage experience that can be more valuable in the middle innings ahead of Latz.
“You gotta figure out who you have in the bullpen, and you gotta ride the hot hand,” Schumaker said. “That's kind of where we're at right now, and he has definitely shown enough that I feel confident when he's available to go ahead and use him whenever we need to stop the bleeding or if it's a leverage spot.”