Tuesday newsletter time: A newsy, victorious Monday for Rangers
(AP photo/Tony Gutierrez)
ARLINGTON — For the record, general manager Chris Young said, Jacob deGrom was not going to go on a rehab assignment had he returned from the injured list as quickly as the Rangers had initially hoped/anticipated.
Two or three innings of deGrom in a major-league game is still pretty useful.
Things changed Monday, though, after deGrom was transferred to the 60-day injured list. There wasn’t a setback with the elbow, Young said. It hasn’t responded as well to the throwing as the Rangers would have liked.
The soonest deGrom can return is June 28, but that seems optimistic. The Rangers will await fresh results from an MRI exam before charting a course for the two-time National League Cy Young winner.
DeGrom rejoined the Rangers on Monday from Florida, where he and his wife welcomed their third child last week. He was not asked to throw while away from the team.
The Rangers needed a 40-man roster spot as Spencer Howard came off the 60-day IL, and moving deGrom to the 60 was the choice as the Rangers attempt to make the prudent move with their $185 million pitcher. They haven’t missed him much, as Dane Dunning has filled in admirably, and their strong play has given them a little cushion to slow-play things.
That strong play might also have the Rangers looking into September and October, which a healthy deGrom could be the different in a postseason race or in a postseason series.
But even Young admitted he isn’t sure when deGrom will be back. Inflammation is a difficult injury to forecast as it seems to come and go whenever it darn well pleases.
It’s being finicky with deGrom and the Rangers.
Perez rebounds, Lowe wins it
Martin Perez threw 87 pitches a week ago and couldn’t get out of the fifth inning. The left-hander completed seven innings Monday on 87 pitches.
He was so efficient that the Rangers might have ordinarily sent him back out for the eighth, but the Cardinals several right-handed hitters coming, so they went to rookie Grant Anderson.
St. Louis quickly scored two runs to tie the game, but Nate Lowe singled home Marcus Semien in the ninth inning as the Rangers won 4-3.
But the work that Perez did, allowing only an unearned run in the second inning, gave the Rangers a chance to win.
“I just tried to stay in the game,” Perez said. “We scored one more run in the ninth and won the game.”
Semien extended his hitting streak to 24 games, but it was a one-out walk that got the Rangers started in the ninth. Corey Seager followed with a bloop single that eluded Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado, and Lowe won yet another left-on-left matchup to win it.
“The same-side matchup, it’s fun, especially because stereotypically left-on-left issupposed to be tough,” said Lowe, who is batting .253 against lefties. “Part of the description of a complete player is being able to handle both sides of pitching.”
Seager honored
Seager became the second Rangers player this season to be selected as the American League Player of the Week, thanks to a .407 average, a .741 slugging percentage and 10 RBIs last week.
The shortstop has been on a tear since coming off the injured list May 17. Entering Monday, he had a .343 average with a 1.033 OPS and an MLB-best 22 RBIs in his first 16 games back from a strained left hamstring.
He had two more hits Monday.
Adolis Garcia was picked as the AL Player of the Week for April 17-23.
Doggy video!
Me, this morning when the alarm went off at 5:02 a.m. Enjoy.
Mood.. 😅 pic.twitter.com/YsUeaAC3FR
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) June 4, 2023
Jeff Wilson, jeff@rangerstoday.com
