Jordan Montgomery’s Rehab Progress Matters More to Rangers Than Numbers

The injured Texas Rangers left-hander pitched in his third rehab game on Thursday and for the first time gave up some damage. But that matters less how far he went.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

For the first time since his injury rehab assignment began, Texas Rangers left-hander Jordan Montgomery pitched at Triple-A Round Rock.

For the first time since his injury rehab assignment began, Montgomery gave up some real damage.

For the second straight starts he pitched two innings, but he labored more than in his two previous starts for Double-A Frisco. He had his rehab transferred there on Thursday due to convenience — the Express were at home. But it also represented a chance for Montgomery to test himself a bit more against hitters that either have MLB experience or are close to getting it.

That included giving up a two RBI triple to Vimael Machin, who has played in the Majors last year and is on stand-by for the Colorado Rockies should they need a utility player. But the numbers matter less than the progress, which was substantial in an important way.

Jordan Montgomery’s Progress Through Three Rehab Games

Montgomery started his rehab assignment on June 21 with Double-A Frisco. Here are his traditional pitching numbers through his first three games:

Date	IP	Hits	Runs	Walks	Strikeouts	Pitches/ Strikes
June 21	1.0	1	0	0	1	13-10
June 27	2.0	0	0	0	3	20-15
July 2	2.0	2	2	0	3	39-26

That pitch count represents progress and lines up with what Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said about Montgomery’s rehab when it started. He would start with an inning and then either pitch another inning in the next game or move up to two innings. That would be followed by another two-inning game. Montgomery was so efficient in the first outing that the Rangers went ahead and let him go for two innings in the next game. That was also marked by efficiency.

This was the first game where he experienced some bumpiness. But it also allowed him to throw more pitches in one game (39) than he had in the first two games combined (33). A 19-pitch jump is a bit unusual, but it is a jump that’s more natural from the second to the third outing, as opposed to the first to the second.