Texas Rangers relievers have been exposed in August, with a 5.16 ERA and three blown saves in seven games. Chris Martin’s left calf strain, suffered July 21, clouds the late-inning picture as he advances from fielding practice to a light bullpen, live batting practice, and a rehab stint. The front office tried to shore things up at the deadline with Phil Maton and Danny Coulombe, but the bullpen remains a concern for fantasy managers tracking holds and saves.

Martin’s return could re-establish a trusted late-inning option, while Maton and Coulombe provide depth behind him. Monitor Martin’s rehab timeline closely; if he progresses quickly, expect a reshuffling of high-leverage roles and more stable save chances. Until then, Maton and Coulombe are the most plausible routes for holds, with Martin as a potential upgrade once he’s ramped back up.

Texas placed Jon Gray on waivers, with the 33-year-old right-hander going unclaimed and continuing to occupy a $3 million slice of the Rangers’ payroll this season. The move could be revisited before the Aug. 31 cutoff, as Texas weighs the CBT consequences while trying to stay beneath penalties tied to overages.

The club has previously used waivers to manage payroll, a tactic echoed last year with Robbie Grossman and Travis Jankowski—Grossman claimed by Kansas City, Jankowski remaining with Texas after an unclaimed waiver.

At the trade deadline, Texas added Danny Coulombe, Phil Maton and Merrill Kelly to bolster relief depth. Gray has struggled, posting a 7.71 ERA across six bullpen appearances since returning from a spring-hand fracture, including a rough 2 1/3-innings stint in a 14-2 loss to Toronto.

Offense has sunk post-deadline, and the bullpen is being asked to adjust, per Bruce Bochy. Texas has four straight losses in a slide that complicates postseason math and payroll considerations as Marcus Semien heads for X-rays after a pitch hit him.

Overall, the waiver move underscores a payroll-management tilt while Texas navigates late-season roster volatility and tries to salvage meaningful innings from a bullpen-impaired stretch run.

Texas’ late-game bullpen woes have overshadowed a solid Jacob deGrom start and left the Rangers mired in a rough stretch as they slide under .500. Three straight late-inning meltowns by high-leverage arms, including Coulombe and Maton, have undone a 3-0 lead after deGrom’s five scoreless innings, with Higashioka delivering a three-run blast for Toronto. Bochy’s juggling of the bullpen — and his plan to reintroduce deGrom and softer entry points for Garcia — underscores a broader season-long struggle: Texas’ bottom-five offense must find a spark in the final 40 games. The Jays rallied with a Kirk two-run shot and Barger's RBI single, turning a potential Texas win into a heartbreaking loss as the series opened at Rogers Centre. Houston remains atop the West, while the Rangers chase the difficult path to a postseason spot, needing sharper bullpen performance and more timely offense in a seven-game stretch that could define their roster leverage down the stretch.

Beyond the bullpen chaos, the Rangers leaned on deGrom’s best start in weeks, but the damage came from running out of late-inning answers. The club’s offseason bullpen depth had carried them for much of the season, but injuries and timing have pinched the back end. Milner’s usage and Garcia’s return plan loom large as Bochy navigates a crowded bullpen with Chris Martin sidelined by a calf setback. The Jays’ late rally underscored how quickly momentum can swing in a 6-5 loss, forcing Texas to recalibrate its closing and setup roles as they push toward a daunting remaining schedule.

Texas Rangers pitching has become the ultimate what-if, with Nathan Eovaldi needing to stay healthy enough to qualify for league ERA titles and Cole Winn thriving as a bullpen weapon who could force a shift in late-inning usage. Winn has transformed his arc from top prospect to trusted reliever, pushing the Rangers into a more flexible bullpen dynamic. His five-pitch blend—a near-even split among sinker, four-seam, slider, cutter, and splitter—has produced an elite slider that batters can’t touch. The club’s current low-leverage work for Winn may soon give way to high-leverage chances, especially if he keeps producing spotless lines in tight spots. On the other side, Eovaldi’s durability remains the fuel that could power a stronger overall rotation. Arizona’s Diamondbacks serve as a reminder that even strong rosters face volatility, and the Rangers’ depth could determine fantasy value across the staff. The league context features top-tier arms like Matt Brash, Aroldis Chapman, Danny Coulombe, and Andrés Muñoz anchoring the ERA leaderboard, underscoring how specialized relief and mid-rotation stability define fantasy upside in 2024-25.