Where Does Jack Leiter Fit if Rangers Win AL West, Make Playoffs?

No potential playoff team is going to turn down healthy pitching. The Texas Rangers are no exception.

As the Rangers (78-78) prepare to host the New York Mets and welcome home former second baseman Marcus Semien on Tuesday, they’re still working through whether Jack Leiter can help them.

The injured starter threw a bullpen on Sunday at Globe Life Field, per MLB.com. It was his first since he was shut down in late August with a biceps issue. Texas sent him Arizona to keep him working toward a return. So, Sunday’s bullpen was significant, but not the end of the road.

He still needs to build up, and he’ll now do so with the Rangers, who are playing their final six games of the season in pursuit of the AL West title. It’s possible he could get in a couple of more bullpens before the season ends. Texas doesn’t need to activate him by then, as he can be activated in the postseason.

The question is who do the Rangers sacrifice to get that done?

Options to Activate Jack Leiter

Texas Rangers pitcher Winston Santos throws a pitch. — Texas Rangers pitcher Winston Santos. Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Before he was shut down, Leiter threw 25 pitches in a rehab game that was cut short on Aug. 26. Before that, on Aug. 20, he was built up to 59 pitches. Texas doesn’t need him to work his way up to a starter’s workload. There isn’t time for that. What they need to be sure of is that Leiter can be effective coming out of a bullpen role.

That’s what his game on Aug. 26 was designed to do as he came in as a reliever. But the biceps issue kept him from continuing.

Now it’s a matter of effectiveness. Can he hit his spots and get hitters out? If he can, then there’s a chance the Rangers could roster him for the playoffs. But there are issues to contend with.

Rosters expanded to 28 players on Sept. 1. They’ll contract back to 26 players for the postseason. The Rangers can only have 13 pitches and must set their wild card series roster before Game 1. If Texas wants Leiter on the roster, he needs to be activated by then.

Leiter is on the 60-day IL and doesn’t count against the 40-man roster. To activated him, he must be placed on the 40-man roster and the 26-man roster. Both are challenging.

Texas could move a player on the 10- or 15-day IL to the 60-day IL to create the space. Or it could designate a player for assignment. The most likely possibilities are catcher Kyle Higashioka, pitcher Michael Otanez or pitcher Peyton Gray for the 60-day IL. The Rangers could DFA Otanez.

Then the Rangers must get Leiter on the 26-man. That will require two moves — one for the roster contraction and one to clear the spot on the postseason roster. That could be even trickier. Winston Santos is one likely option. The other is probably Adam Macko, based on the number of veterans the Rangers have that can’t be optioned.

It will require some real movement from Texas to get Leiter on a postseason roster. It’s possible. But the Rangers have to get into the postseason first.

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