JOSH SBORZ NEWS

Gets contract with Texas Sborz (shoulder) signed a one-year contract with the Rangers on Friday to avoid arbitration.

Impact Sborz appeared in just 17 major-league games in 2024, as he spent four separate stints on the Rangers' injured list due to a right shoulder injuries. He managed to post a 3.86 ERA and 1.22 WHIP across 16.1 innings, and Sborz could be an effective option out of the Rangers' bullpen in 2025 if he's able to fully recover from his right shoulder issues.

NOVEMBER 23 • ROTOWIRE

Multiple opinions on shoulder Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said Monday that Sborz has been examined by multiple shoulder experts but has not yet made a decision on a course of action, Ev...

Impact Sborz dealt with a right shoulder problem off and on throughout the 2024 campaign and ended the season on the injured list with what the team simply referred to as shoulder fatigue. It would seem as though surgery could be one possibility Sborz is considering, although Young didn't divulge specifics in regards to what injury exactly the reliever is dealing with. With Kirby Yates, David Robertson and Jose Leclerc all becoming free agents, the health of Sborz is paramount.

NOVEMBER 4 • ROTOWIRE

Lands on IL with shoulder fatigue The Rangers placed Sborz on the 15-day injured list Saturday due to right shoulder fatigue.

Impact Saturday marks the fourth time this season that Sborz has been placed on the IL due to a right shoulder injury. His latest stint started mid-August, and he was able to return to the big club Tuesday, but his 2024 season will end with just 17 appearances out of the bullpen for the Rangers. Sborz ends the year with a 3.86 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 17:4 K:BB and eight holds over 16.1 innings of work.

SEPTEMBER 29 • ROTOWIRE

Lands on IL with shoulder fatigue The Rangers placed Sborz on the 15-day injured list Saturday due to right shoulder fatigue.

Impact This marks the fourth time this season that Sborz has been placed on the IL due to a right shoulder injury. His prior stint started in mid-August, and he was able to return to the big club Tuesday, but his 2024 season will end with just 17 appearances out of the bullpen for the Rangers. Sborz ends the year with a 3.86 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 17:4 K:BB and eight holds over 16.1 innings of work.

SEPTEMBER 29 • ROTOWIRE

Back from IL The Rangers reinstated Sborz (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Tuesday.

Impact Sborz initially landed on the injured list in mid-August due to shoulder fatigue, but after a month of rehab, he's been given the green light to return to Texas' bullpen. The 30-year-old righty allowed five earned runs over just 3.1 innings during his minor-league assignment, but he won't have to worry about pitching under pressure during the final week of the regular season with the Rangers out of the playoff picture. Walter Pennington was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock in a corresponding move.

SEPTEMBER 24 • ROTOWIRE

Still rehabbing Sborz (shoulder), who began a rehab assignment Aug. 24, restarted the rehab this week after taking an extended break, MLB.com reports.

Impact Sborz made two appearances in four days before shutting down in August. This week, he threw a scoreless inning Tuesday and allowed two runs on a hit and two walks in two-thirds of an inning Friday. When healthy, Sborz has delivered a 3.38 ERA over 16 relief innings, but his current stint on the IL is his third due to shoulder-related issues.

SEPTEMBER 14 • ROTOWIRE

Begins rehab assignment Sborz (shoulder) began a rehab assignment with Double-A Frisco on Saturday.

Impact Sborz has been on the injured list since Aug. 11 due to right shoulder fatigue. It's unclear how many appearances the Rangers want the 30-year-old to make before they activate him off the IL, though a return before the end of the month hasn't yet been ruled out.

AUGUST 24 • ROTOWIRE

Shut down with shoulder fatigue The Rangers placed Sborz on the 15-day injured list Sunday with right shoulder fatigue.

Impact Sborz's placement on IL is retroactive to Thursday, so he'll be eligible for activation as soon as Aug. 23. The right-hander has been a key setup man for the Rangers when available this season but had struggled of late, giving up one run in three of his last five appearances. Texas called up right-hander Matt Festa from Triple-A Round Rock to take Sborz's spot in the bullpen.

AUGUST 11 • ROTOWIRE

Earns two-inning hold Sborz allowed one hit and struck out three over two scoreless innings in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Orioles.

Impact Sborz made his fourth appearance since coming back from a shoulder injury. He hasn't issued a walk in the six innings since coming off the IL and hurled five consecutive scoreless frames. When healthy, Sborz is used as a high-leverage arm in the bullpen. He has a 2.38 ERA with 11 strikeouts and three walks over 11.1 innings this season.

JULY 22 • ROTOWIRE

Back from IL The Rangers activated Sborz (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Friday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Impact Sborz missed nearly two months of action with right shoulder tightness but is ready to go after allowing just one run with a 9:2 K:BB over his last 5.1 rehab innings. A high-leverage bullpen role awaits Sborz, although he could be eased back into such situations.

JULY 5 • ROTOWIRE

Placed on 15-day IL Sborz (shoulder) was placed on the 15-day injured list by the Rangers on Sunday.

Impact Sborz is dealing with a right rotator cuff strain and he'll now be forced to miss at least a couple weeks of action. Considering the specific injury on his throwing arm, the 30-year-old could be set for an extended absence. Texas called up right-hander Grant Anderson from Triple-A Round Rock in a corresponding move to operate as a replacement for Sborz in the major-league bullpen.

APRIL 7 • ROTOWIRE

Returns to action Sborz (knee) struck out one over a scoreless inning in Wednesday's spring game against the Reds.

Impact Wednesday marked the first time in two weeks that Sborz pitched in a game environment. His 4.50 spring ERA is clouded by his first outing -- two runs in one inning -- but he's been unscored upon in three straight appearances, including 1-2-3 efforts the last two times out. Sborz will fill a high-leverage role in 2024.

MARCH 21 • ROTOWIRE

Settles for $1 million Sborz signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Rangers on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Impact Sborz posted an ugly 5.50 ERA across 52.1 innings in 2023, though that also came with just a 53.8 percent strand rate. He'll need to keep the ball in the yard to be more effective -- he served up 1.4 HR/9 -- but his 66:17 K:BB suggests there is room for improved results. Sborz figures to be a key high-leverage reliever in the Rangers' bullpen in 2024.

JANUARY 12 • ROTOWIRE

Available to pitch in Game 4 Sborz (hamstring) said he'll be available out of the bullpen in Game 4 of the World Series on Tuesday versus the Diamondbacks, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Impact Sborz experienced some hamstring cramps while pitching a scoreless seventh inning in the Rangers' Game 3 win on Monday, but he showed up back at Chase Field in Arizona on Tuesday with no lingering discomfort. The 29-year-old right-hander has allowed just one run through 9.2 innings of work in the 2023 postseason.

OCTOBER 31, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Returns from IL The Rangers reinstated Sborz (hamstring) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Impact Sborz has been on the injured list since Sept. 5 due to a strained hamstring. He threw one inning during a rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock, during which he gave up two hits and struck out three batters. The 29-year-old righty has put up a 5.80 ERA and 1.19 WHIP through 49.2 frames this season and figures to be in the mix for high-leverage outings as the Rangers push for a postseason spot. Jake Latz was optioned to Round Rock in a corresponding move.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Facing hitters again Sborz (hamstring) threw a live batting practice session Monday, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.

Impact Sborz faced off against two of the Rangers' rehabbing hitters, Josh Jung (thumb) and Adolis Garcia (knee). The Rangers could look to send out Sborz on a brief minor-league rehab assignment before bringing him back from the 15-day injured list, though the organization has yet to announce its plans for the right-handed reliever. Before hitting the IL on Sept. 5, Sborz had compiled a 5.80 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 49.2 innings out of the bullpen this season.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Out with hamstring strain Sborz was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a hamstring strain, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Impact Sborz took the loss Monday against Houston after he gave up five earned runs over two-thirds of an inning, which capped off a six-appearance stretch during which he surrendered 13 earned runs. The right-hander had a 3.83 ERA through 36 outings prior to that ugly span, and he'll now be sidelined for at least the next couple weeks as he attempts to get healthy.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Faces heart of order Sborz struck out one and retired all three batters faced in Tuesday's 2-0 win over the White Sox.

Impact Starter Andrew Heaney was pulled from a 1-0 game after giving up a single to lead off the seventh inning with the heart of Chicago's order due up. Texas manager Bruce Bochy chose Sborz to face Luis Robert, Eloy Jimenez and Andrew Benintendi, and the reliever dispatched them on nine pitches (seven strikes). The right-hander was recently activated off the injured list, and the manager has him throwing high-leverage innings -- a role Sborz earned with a strong June prior to a biceps injury. Aroldis Chapman and Will Smith followed with perfect innings to protect the shutout.

AUGUST 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Makes first appearance off IL Sborz struck one over a scoreless inning in Saturday's 4-0 loss to the Padres.

Impact Sborz pitched the ninth inning, his first appearance since being activated off the injured list Friday. The right-hander landed on the IL immediately prior to the All-Star break after giving up nine runs on nine hits (two home runs) and four walks over 3.1 innings. Sborz emerged as a late-inning asset during the month of June and should continue to serve in that role.

JULY 30, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Activated from 15-day IL Texas activated Sborz (biceps) from the 15-day injured list Friday.

Impact Sborz will return to the Rangers' bullpen Friday night in San Diego after missing about three weeks because of right biceps tendinitis. He's pitched to a 4.54 ERA and 52:13 K:BB in 37.2 innings this season for the current AL West leaders.

JULY 28, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Kicking off rehab assignment Sborz (biceps) will begin a rehab assignment Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

Impact Sborz, who was placed on the 15-DAY injured list with right biceps tendinitis, played catch Tuesday. The right-hander had become an important bullpen piece over the last month before the injury flared up.

JULY 26, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Out with biceps tendinitis Sborz was placed on the 15-day injured list with right biceps tendinitis Saturday.

Impact The transaction has been backdated to Wednesday, meaning Sborz will be eligible to return in less than two weeks, though that will only be in play if his injury is particularly mild. The injury may explain Sborz's difficult stretch immediately prior to the break, when he allowed nine runs in 3.1 innings. Up to that point, he owned a 2.62 ERA and 0.82 WHIP, so his loss will be a significant one for the Rangers. John King was recalled to take his place in the bullpen.

JULY 15, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Having rough July Sborz allowed three runs on five hits while striking out three over one inning in Sunday's 7-2 loss to Washington.

Impact Sborz entered with two outs and two runners on in the sixth following starter Dane Dunning and gave up three consecutive singles, which turned a 2-1 deficit into 5-1. He then allowed two homers in the seventh and that was it for the right-hander. Sborz, who emerged as a trusted bullpen arm in June (0.55 ERA, 22 strikeouts, 16.1 innings), has gone the opposite direction in July. Sunday's outing was the third time in four games he's allowed three runs. In all, Sborz has allowed nine runs on nine hits and four walks over 3.1 innings this month.

JULY 10, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Charged with loss Sborz (4-3) took the loss Sunday, allowing three runs on two hits and two walks over two-thirds of an inning against the Astros.

Impact A reconfigured Texas bullpen had mostly done it's job after a rough May, but Sborz didn't have it while pitching in the second of back-to-back appearances. The right-hander, who entered Sunday's game with a 0.49 ERA over the previous 12 outings, has a 16.88 ERA the three times he's pitched without rest.

JULY 3, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Moves into setup role Sborz allowed one hit over two scoreless innings to earn a hold in Saturday's 4-2 win over Toronto.

Impact Sborz entered a one-run game and shut down the Blue Jays in the seventh and eighth innings for his sixth hold. The right-hander hasn't allowed an earned run over his last 11.2 innings. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy appears to have found a solution to a bullpen that wobbled during the month of May. Sborz and Grant Anderson have moved into high-leverage roles, shepherding leads to closer Will Smith. Both Sborz and Anderson typically work multiple innings, so Bochy can alternate his trusted arms for more than three outs nearly every day.

JUNE 18, 2023 • ROTOWIRE