ARLINGTON, Texas — Jack Leiter has not resumed throwing and will go to Arizona this week to continue his rehab, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reported Saturday. With the time left in the regular season, Leiter is unlikely to return as a starter, according to Landry. A return as a reliever remains possible.
The Texas Rangers shut Leiter down Aug. 28 after he reported biceps soreness during and after a one-inning rehab appearance for Triple-A Round Rock on Aug. 26. That outing was his third of the rehab assignment and his first out of the bullpen. He allowed 3 runs on 3 hits, threw 25 pitches, and topped out at 97.9 mph.
The regular season ends Sept. 27 at Target Field against the Minnesota Twins. Texas entered Saturday at 70-72, second in the American League West and 3 games behind the Houston Astros, with 20 games left to play.
The Rangers keep their spring training complex in Surprise, Ariz. Right-hander Carter Baumler threw three or four ups there in August before the club lined up a rehab assignment for him at Round Rock, as Dallas Sports Journal wrote last week.
Skip Schumaker On Jack Leiter’s Setback
Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said the soreness showed up while Leiter was pitching and again after he came back to the dugout, in comments reported by MLB.com on Aug. 28 in Milwaukee.
“He had some biceps soreness coming out of that game,” Schumaker said. “So we’ll reevaluate what that looks like for the next couple of days.”
The club planned a few days of treatment before deciding when, and in what role, Leiter would pick his throwing program back up.
“We just kind of go through medical and treatment and that kind of thing and make sure he feels good enough to start this kind of routine,” Schumaker explained.
Schumaker put the health question ahead of any conversation about how Texas would use Leiter.
“Definitely, as far as starting, that’s probably going to be more challenging to do at this point,” Schumaker said.
“How do we get him back and utilize him the best?” Schumaker continued. “We’ve got to get the health figured out first.”
Earlier that week in Chicago, Schumaker had put the odds of Leiter returning out of the bullpen at 50-50, according to Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, and the club planned to shrink his workload for the Aug. 26 outing. Texas had discussed a relief role as a way to shorten the rehab since the middle of August, as Dallas Sports Journal wrote in August.
Jack Leiter’s Three Rehab Outings
Leiter opened the assignment Aug. 13 for Round Rock and threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings on 48 pitches, 32 of them strikes. He gave up 1 hit and 1 walk and struck out 3, with his four-seam fastball sitting between 96 and 97 mph.
A week later at Double-A Frisco, he needed 59 pitches to get through 3 innings. He allowed 3 hits and 4 earned runs, walked 2, struck out 5, and gave up a home run. Schumaker called the outing grindy and said the fastball ran 95 to 100 mph, as Dallas Sports Journal wrote after that outing.
Leiter tripped over equipment in the on-deck circle April 22 while backing up a throw at the plate, and Texas left him in that game. His last major league start came June 18 against Minnesota, when he allowed 6 earned runs over 4 innings in a 9-3 loss. Texas put him on the injured list June 21, retroactive to June 19, and he underwent arthroscopic surgery June 23 to remove a loose body from his right ankle. The club moved him to the 60-day injured list Aug. 9. He has been eligible for activation since Aug. 18.
Over 15 starts this season, Leiter is 3-7 with a 5.29 ERA across 80 innings, with 83 strikeouts and 35 walks. In 2025, he posted a 3.86 ERA over 29 starts and 152 2/3 innings. Texas took him second overall in the 2021 draft.
Where The Rangers Pitching Staff Stands
Nathan Eovaldi has been on the 15-day injured list since Aug. 10 with right posterior elbow inflammation. Relievers Peyton Gray and Cole Winn went on the 15-day injured list Aug. 31, Gray with right elbow inflammation and Winn with a right rotator cuff strain. Texas signed right-hander Trevor Williams to a major league contract Sept. 1.
The Rangers continue their series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday at Globe Life Field. First pitch is 6:05 p.m. CT on Rangers Sports Network, with Jacob deGrom starting against Drew Rasmussen. MacKenzie Gore starts the series finale Sunday at 1:35 p.m. CT.
