Rangers Injured Reliever Josh Sborz Has More Boxes to Check off in Rehab

The Texas Rangers reliever is going to need more time to position himself for a return to the Major Leagues.

Aug 3, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers relief pitcher Josh Sborz (66) pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the sixth inning at Globe Life Field. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

ARLINGTON — Two relief appearances on a rehab assignment aren’t enough for Texas Rangers reliever Josh Sborz to be ready to return to the Majors.

Manager Bruce Bochy said he still needed to talk with team trainers about how Sborz came out of his rehab game on Friday. But, he needs to see more before the right-hander can return to the Majors from rehab after shoulder surgery.

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“We’d like to get him up and down, maybe even multiple innings,” Bochy said. “He needs to check off some boxes before he would be ready to come back.”

Sborz’s rehab assignment was transferred to Double-A Frisco on Friday, with the Express in Las Vegas.

With the RoughRiders on Friday, he pitched an inning, but it was a bit of an adventure. He walked two and struck out one. He allowed one hit and one earned run.

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Before that, he started a game for the Express on July 12 but only pitched 0.2 innings. He gave up two hits, struck out one and walked one.

Sborz has been on the injured list all season after he had right shoulder surgery last offseason. Earlier this season he admitted that he’s having to learn trust with his arm.

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Sborz’s shoulder injury was a longer-term issue, admitting that he has “… to let go of the past. You deal with it for a year and a half and it kind of sticks with you.”

Before his rehab assignment started, all of his pitchers were over 90 mph on the gun, and he liked the shape of his curveball. His slider was about two miles per hour slower than he wanted but felt the velocity would eventually come.

Sborz pitched in 17 games last season and went 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA, striking out 17 and walking four in 16.1 innings.  

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He was part of the Rangers’ 2023 World Series team, as he closed out Game 5. He broke in with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019 and was acquired by Texas before the 2021 season in a trade for pitcher Jhan Zambrano, but only after the Dodgers designated Sborz for assignment.

For his career he is 13-13 with a 4.96 ERA in 154 games, with one start. He has 193 strikeouts and 69 walks in 163.1 innings. Batters have hit .238 against him and he has a 1.33 WHIP.

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