Jul 26, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A hat and glove of a Texas Rangers player during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Texas Rangers Place Cole Winn on IL, Recall Lefty Reliever

Originally posted on Texas Rangers on SI
By Sean O'Leary | Last updated Aug 20, 2025 7:30 PM ET

The Texas Rangers now sit three games under .500, putting them seven games back in the American League West all while slipping further behind in the Wild Card race. The Rangers are now 5.5 games back of the third spot behind the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians.

A huge reason for this decline is the bullpen , which has not been good as of late. They have not had a bonafide closer all season, with Robert Garcia leading the te am with just nine saves. Garcia, Jacob Webb and Luke Jackson, who all have at least 35 innings of work, have negative bWAR.

Texas was dealt a blow on Wednesday when the Texas Rangers PR announced that right-handed reliever Cole Winn was placed on the 15-day injured list. In a corresponding move, the team recalled left-handed reliever Jacob Latz.

Cole Winn Hits the IL With a Hand Issue

Winn was sent to the 15-day injured list with nerve irritation in his hand, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. No timetable for his return has been announced.

By bWAR, Winn has been the best Rangers reliever this season despite only pitching in 24 games. His 0.9 bWAR is a tick ahead of Shawn Armstrong at 0.8.

In 29.2 innings of work, the 25-year-old has struck out 24 with a 0.978 WHIP and 0.91 ERA. L osing Winn could be a big blow for the bullpen down the stretch.

It is also a tough situation for Winn himself. A first-round pick in 2018, the right-hander reached Triple-A in his second professional season and even made a Futures Game Roster in 2021. However, he spent parts of four seasons struggling at Triple-A before earning the call to the big leagues in 2024, where he struggled again.

Winn has been up-and-down between levels in 2025, but had found his groove before being injured.

Jacob Latz To Replace the Injured Winn

The left-handed Latz will be recalled with Winn due to miss time. The 29-year-old was recalled in April and pitched in 25 games before being optioned on August 1.

Latz has been somewhat of a do-it-all pitcher for Texas this season. In his 25 games, he started three of them and even collected a save. He struck out 52 batters and posted a 3.23 ERA in his 55.2 innings pitched before being optioned.

He was a pretty big part of the Rangers bullpen in 2024, throwing 43.2 innings with 40 strikeouts and a 3.71 ERA in 46 games, which was the third most on the team.

Latz is a known commodity that will give Texas an arm they can rely on to be at least above league average.

This article first appeared on Texas Rangers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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