How Jalen Beeks Impacts Rangers’ Bullpen Pecking Order for Opening Day

The Texas Rangers didn’t sign Jalen Beeks to give him time to ramp up. The hope is that he’ll be ready for opening day.

Texas also used the signing to trim a player from the 40-man roster. When the Rangers announced his deal, they designated reliever Alexis Diaz for assignment. That experiment appears be over.

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The Rangers chose recent Beeks’ recent track record over a reclamation project. The left-hander should help Texas right away.

The Rangers put Beeks on a Major League deal so he would make the team. He's coming off perhaps his best season in the Majors with a career high 14 holds in 2025 with Arizona. He went 5-3 with a 3.77 ERA in 61 games. He also struck out 47 and walked 20 in 57.1 innings.

So, what about the other seven bullpen spots?

The Rangers Bullpen with Beeks

Texas Rangers pitcher Robert Garcia delivers a pitch. — Texas Rangers pitcher Robert Garcia. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said early in camp that he intended to give Robert Garcia and Chris Martin the early reps in the nine inning and in save situations. It seems logical to assume that both right-handers will make the team. Beeks would be a left-handed setup man ahead of the pair.

Tyler Alexander, the TCU product that Texas signed at the offseason to a Major League deal, has pitched well enough this spring to being nearly assured of a roster spot. The right-hander has a history of working multiple innings and threw 97.2 innings in 52 appearances last season. He’s less likely to be a primary one-inning set-up man. His value early will be in eating up innings that starters are unable to.

Right-hander Cole Winn hasn’t performed as well, but his history last season in the Rangers’ bullpen suggest he’s likely to make the opening-day roster. Winn had a 1.51 ERA in 33 games last season and could be that one-inning set-up man from the right side.

Left-hander Jacob Latz will make the team, either as a starter or as a reliever. The question is if he emerges as the fifth starter, would Kumar Rocker move to the bullpen or be optioned to Triple-A? If Latz is moved back to the bullpen, it leaves Texas with two spots to fill.

The 40-man roster options include Jakob Junis, Luis Curvelo and Carter Baumler. Baumler has had the best camp and as a Rule 5 pick he must make the opening day roster or be offered back to his original team. Junis’ spring training ERA is over 4.00 but he has more than 200 MLB appearances. Curvelo has had a solid spring and is allowing batters to hit just .190 against him.

From the non-roster invitees there are two potential additions. One is Peyton Gray, who has been excellent in relief and has 12 strikeouts. Gray has never pitched in the Majors. The other is Ryan Brasier. The former Cubs reliever hasn’t allowed a run in four relief appearances in March after a slow start.