Brad Keller and Andrew Kittredge form a Cubs late-inning committee after Palencia hits the IL, creating a two-headed path to saves with fireman duties sprinkled in. Dennis Santana remains the Pirates’ closer, and JoJo Romero with Riley O’Brien share Cardinals late-inning leverage, offering mixed saves and holds as playoff rosters tighten. Ranger arms Shawn Armstrong and Phil Maton are splitting saves, with Trevor Megill’s looming return for Milwaukee reshaping the back end. In deeper leagues, Arizona’s bullpen shows leverage ladder activity behind Woodford, Saalfrank, and Thompson.

Rangers stay in the mix with a 15.1% playoff shot after a 0.500 week, keeping hope alive despite injuries and a brutal closing slate. Jack Leiter has emerged as a standout rookie with a sub-4.00 ERA and rising WPA, while Wyatt Langford sits on a 5+ WAR pace for a 23-year-old, hinting at a fast climb. The week featured Cody Freeman and Alejandro Osuna delivering high-leverage WPA moments in the 7-5 Diamondbacks win, underscoring the depth in Texas. Kolby Allard’s 2021 home-series relief win against Houston is cited as a trivia marker in a season defined by resilience.

The article tracks the Rangers’ path through a demanding schedule—nine games against Brewers, Mets and Astros—where even a win could be marginal. The Mariners’ head-to-head tiebreaker looms large, and the roster's improvisational depth becomes a fantasy angle: savings on bibs in the bullpen, upside from Langford and Leiter, and late-season bolsters like Phil Maton on Houston’s side shaping the playoff sprint.

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.