Texas Rangers Send Slugger on Rehab Stint, Promote Top Prospects to Triple-A

The Texas Rangers have to be excited at the potential return of their first baseman Jake Burger. 

Burger left a game on June 20 against the Pittsburgh Pirates and the next day he was placed on the injury list with an oblique strain on his left side. Now, he's set to begin a rehab assignment.

The official Texas Rangers PR X account (previously known as Twitter) posted that he is scheduled to bat second for Double-A Frisco and play first base against Arkansas on Tuesday.

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The Rangers hope that Burger will be ready to be activated on Friday and play for them at the start of their road trip to San Diego.

He has played in 65 games this season (his first with the Rangers) and slashed .220/.253/.403 with 29 RBI and 10 home runs.

The Rangers also announced the promotions of two more minor league prospects to Triple-A Round Rock — outfielder Aaron Zavala and pitcher Skylar Hales, per mutiple outlets including DLLS Sports.

Zavala has played in the minors since 2021 and been in at Double-A since the end of the 2022 season. This year he is slashing .253/.389/.396 which brings his OPS to .785. He's been walked 47 times and he has 26 RBI. 

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This season he has primarily been used as a center fielder. He’s tallied 102 putouts with three assists and five errors. 

Hales has been pitching in the minors since 2023. He has a career record of 5-5 and has played in 78 games with a 3.87 ERA. 

Texas is currently 5-5 in their last 10 and sit fourth in the American League West with a 41-44 overall record. The Houston Astros lead the division, 9.5 games ahead of the Rangers and are the first team to reach 50 wins in the division.

For more Rangers news, head over to Rangers On SI.