Robert

Garcia

The procedural move doesn’t impact Garcia’s return timeline since he’s been out with shoulder inflammation since late April. He’ll likely be out until after next month’s All-Star break.

The 29-year-old southpaw played catch from a distance of 80 feet on Friday. He’s still got plenty of hurdles to clear before he’s able to rejoin the Rangers’ bullpen. It would be surprising to see him back in the mix before the end of May.

The 29-year-old southpaw had been taking things day-to-day, but wasn’t bouncing back as quickly as the Rangers had hoped so they’ll sit him down to make sure the issue clears up before rushing him back into action. Peyton Gray had his contract selected from Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday to take his place in the Rangers’ bullpen.

It doesn’t sound like there are any plans to put Garcia on the injured list, but that could change if he’s not ready to pitch in a couple days. The 29-year-old has been unavailable since last Friday. Jakob Junis appears to be the favorite to continue closing games for the Rangers.

The Rangers are reportedly “optimistic” that the imaging won’t show “any significant structural damage” and the current plan is to give Garcia an anti-inflammatory injection. In the best-case scenario, he would then be able to return by the weekend. However, if they go ahead and place him on the injured list now, Garcia couldn’t return until May, so the team is going to roll the dice and hope they can avoid that.

It’s just the second save of the year for Junis, and it’s worth noting that he was facing the heart of Seattle’s lineup. He got Cal Raleigh to ground out, and while he did plunk Julio Rodríguez, he was able to get Josh Naylor to hit in a game-ending double play and needed just four pitches to get out of the inning. Robert Garcia worked the eighth inning against the bottom of the Mariners’ lineup, so this is a situation to monitor for those who roster Garcia. It’s a situation to avoid if at all possible for those who don’t.

This one was a combined blown save from the Rangers’ top two closer candidates. Robert Garcia started the inning with a three-run lead. He got two quick outs before a single and a walk put two runners on. Martin came in to face right-hander Adolis García, who doubled to score a run. Brandon Marsh then knocked a base hit to tie the game. Martin eventually got out of the inning tied before Tyler Alexander secured a save in the tenth inning for Texas, with Martin credited for the win. Expect Garcia and Martin to continue to work in a committee for save chances.

Schumaker elaborated that he’s comfortable with both Robert Garcia and Chris Martin handling the ninth-inning duties but added that there’s a chance a few different guys get opportunities. It’s not exactly a ringing endorsement from Texas’ skipper but we would be surprised to see someone other than Garcia or Martin coming through the bullpen gates at the start of the year based on their high-leverage experience. The interesting dark horse name to watch long-term is Rule 5 pick Carter Baumler based on his impressive stuff.

Garcia has allowed three runs — two earned — in 3 1/3 innings this spring, but it comes with a 5/0 K/BB. He’d seem to be the current favorite to lead the Rangers in saves this year, though since he’s their best left-hander, it’d be beneficial if the club could play matchups with him. Hopefully, one of the Rangers’ young right-handed relievers will step up eventually.

Schumaker allowed the thought that Alexis Diaz could eventually factor into the equation too if he pitches well in Spring Training. Garcia finished 2025 with a 2.95 ERA in 71 games, but had only nine saves and took eight losses out of the bullpen. Martin finished the year with two saves and has the more established track record, but is also entering his age-40 season. This looks like a situation that has yet to fully unfold in camp, but we’d bet on Garcia to be the best bet to close as of now.