Rangers Place Chris Martin On IL With Shoulder Impingement

The Rangers announced a series of roster moves prior to tonight’s game. They selected the contract of left-hander Robby Ahlstrom, recalled infielder/outfielder Cody Freeman and recalled right-hander Luis Curvelo. In corresponding active roster moves, they optioned right-hander Gavin Collyer, placed infielder/outfielder Sam Haggerty on the bereavement/family medical emergency list and placed righty Chris Martin on the 15-day IL due to a shoulder impingement. Martin’s move is retroactive to May 31st. To open a 40-man spot for Ahlstrom, left-hander Robert Garcia has been transferred to the 60-day IL. MLBTR covered the Ahlstrom move earlier today.

Martin will celebrate his 40th birthday while on the injured list, as he hits that milestone tomorrow. Despite his age, he has remained an effective reliever, or at least he had until recently. Last year, he made 49 appearances for the Rangers with a 2.98 earned run average. Though he had previously said 2025 would very likely be his last season, he signed up for another campaign, with Texas giving him a $4MM guarantee.

The results have been far worse this time, with the shoulder probably playing a notable role. This is already his second IL stint for a shoulder impingement this year, the first one spanning a little over a month from mid-April to mid-May. Around the IL stints, he has made 12 appearances but has been lit up for a 7.84 ERA. He hasn’t been helped by a .417 batting average on balls in play but his 14.3% strikeout rate and 30.8% ground ball rate are both well south of last year, when he punched out 24.7% of opponents and induced grounders on 42.6% of balls in play.

The Rangers haven’t yet provided any info about how long they expect Martin to be out of action. Ideally, this second IL stint will result in more proper healing, which could lead to better results once he is back on the mound.

As for Garcia, he was placed on the 15-day IL over a month ago, on April 20th. His 60-day count is retroactive to that date, so he will be eligible for reinstatement in a few weeks. A couple of days ago, manager Skip Schumaker said that Garcia is still weeks away, per Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. Whenever Garcia is healthy, he can start a rehab assignment, even if he’s still within that 60-day window. Rehab assignments for pitchers can last as long as 30 days.