ARLINGTON, Texas — Cal Quantrill will not pitch again in the regular season because of a right lat strain. Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said Monday he would not rule the right-hander out for the playoffs. Texas placed Quantrill on the 15-day injured list Sunday, a day after he left his start against the Toronto Blue Jays with right lat tightness.
Young gave the update on 105.3 The Fan’s G-Bag Nation during the team’s off day. Texas (78-78) leads the Houston Astros by one game in the American League West with six games left, and the postseason begins Sept. 29.
This season, Quantrill has a 2.86 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP, with 81 strikeouts and 25 walks in 110 innings.
“It was really a bad break for Cal in terms of the injury,” Young said. “He’s had such a tremendous year and a great second half. He’s been our best pitcher in the second half. And to see him get hurt was really, really tough. Jordan Montgomery stepped in and really picked us up and allowed us to win a game. But for Cal, it was a tough ending to his regular season.
“I won’t rule the playoffs out yet, but that said, he does have a lat strain, which is a significant injury, and the likelihood that he will be back for October at best, to be determined,” Young continued. “But it was a real injury, and we’re not going to have him the rest of the season.”
Cal Quantrill’s Exit Against The Toronto Blue Jays
Quantrill recorded four outs Saturday before he was removed after a visit from the dugout in the second inning. He averaged 91.7 mph on his four-seam fastball that night, down from 93.8 mph for the season, and his last fastball registered 87.8 mph, MLB Trade Rumors reported.
Left-hander Jordan Montgomery took over and recorded the next 11 outs without allowing a hit, and Texas won 6-2. The Rangers recalled right-hander Winston Santos from Triple-A Round Rock to take Quantrill’s roster spot.
It was Quantrill’s second straight start to end early. On Sept. 13 at the Arizona Diamondbacks, he went 6 innings and allowed 5 hits and 2 earned runs, with 0 walks and 4 strikeouts on 70 pitches, before back tightness forced him out. Four days later, he said he was “good to go”.
Cal Quantrill’s 2026 Season With The Texas Rangers
From 2023-25, Quantrill had a 5.39 ERA while pitching for Cleveland and three other teams. He allowed 45 home runs in 266 innings over 2024 and 2025. In 2022, he made 32 starts with a 3.38 ERA for the Cleveland Guardians.
Texas has named MacKenzie Gore its starter for Tuesday’s 7:05 p.m. CT game against the New York Mets at Globe Life Field. Young said Jacob deGrom will pitch one of the final six games and the rest of the rotation will be set day by day. The Rangers close the regular season at the Minnesota Twins from Sept. 25-27.
