Jon Gray Now Positioned to Join Rangers Pitching Staff Next Week

ARLINGTON — With the Texas Rangers rotation undergoing a bit of flux, the time has likely come for Jon Gray to serve as a reinforcement.

Whether he’ll be a starter or a reliever is up for debate.

Gray pitched his latest rehab game on Saturday with Triple-A Round Rock. Against the Las Vegas Aviators, he pitched 3.2 innings. He allowed three hits, one run (earned) and struck out five. He also walked two.

It’s most likely his last rehab game. On Thursday Rangers manager Bruce Bochy indicated that Gray’s next game would probably be with the Rangers. He just wasn’t sure if it would be as a starter or as a reliever.

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The Rangers scratched Sunday’s starter, Nathan Eovaldi, due to back tightness. The Rangers also have starter Tyler Mahle on the 60-day injured list with right shoulder fatigue. It will be another month before he can be activated.

Eovaldi is improving, Bochy said, and he’s not anticipating an IL stint. When asked if a Wednesday start for Eovaldi was possible, he said yes.

If Eovaldi isn’t able to go, Bochy was asked if his options were Patrick Corbin or Gray and he said yes, though he indicated that Gray would be unlikely to start in that situation.

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Texas will start Jacob Latz on Sunday against Detroit. He has excelled as a spot starter. The Rangers also have Jacob deGrom, Jack Leiter, Kumar Rocker and Patrick Corbin in the rotation, along with Eovaldi.

In three combined rehab games since July 9, Gray has pitched 8.2 innings. He’s allowed 10 hits, three earned runs and two walks. He’s also struck out eight.

He made two starts with Round Rock. In between, he made a start with the Rangers’ Arizona Complex League team on Monday when his scheduled start with the Express was rained out. It was a novel way to keep Gray on time while the rest of baseball was dark due to the All-Star break.

Gray has been on the injured list since the start of the season after suffering a right forearm fracture during a spring training game when he was hit by a comebacker.

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Gray was working on a spring training ramp-up and was expected to treated like a starter when he returned. That is now up for debate.  

Throughout the process, Gray has remained on schedule, which means he could return after the trade deadline on July 31.

Gray is in the final year of a four-year deal that he signed before the 2022 season. For the most part, Gray has been a back-of-the-rotation right-hander.

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In three seasons with Texas, he is 21-21 with a 4.16 ERA. 72 of his 76 games regular-season games with the Rangers have been starts, as he’s struck out 362 and walked 121 in 387.1 innings.

The Rangers’ rotation includes Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Patrick Corbin, Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker. Jacob Latz has been stretched out enough to be a spot starter if needed.

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