ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers recalled left-hander Adam Macko from Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday and placed right-hander Michel Otañez on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Friday. Texas had selected Otañez’s contract from Round Rock one day earlier, and he did not pitch for the Rangers in between.
Otañez is eligible to come off the injured list Oct. 3. The regular season ends Sept. 27.
Both moves came before the second game of a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Globe Life Field. Cal Quantrill starts against Toronto right-hander José Soriano at 6:05 p.m. CT on Rangers Sports Network.
Michel Otañez Did Not Appear For Texas Rangers
On Friday, Texas selected Otañez’s contract and optioned left-hander Robby Ahlstrom to Round Rock. Right-hander Cole Winn moved from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot. Otañez was assigned No. 58.
Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Friday that five relievers were unavailable, and he listed Otañez among the arms he did have, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reported.
“How am I going to get through the rest of this game?” Schumaker said after the 7-1 win. “You start counting outs.”
Kumar Rocker left in the fifth inning. Tyler Alexander got the last 2 outs of that inning, and Trevor Williams threw 4 scoreless innings to finish the game.
Texas claimed Otañez off waivers from the Athletics on Nov. 5, 2025. On June 13, the Rangers designated him for assignment, and he cleared waivers and was sent outright to Round Rock five days later. This season at Round Rock, he is 5-1 with a 4.42 ERA over 55 innings, with 42 walks and 74 strikeouts.
Over parts of two seasons with the Athletics, Otañez has a 4.81 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings. He made 36 appearances with a 3.44 ERA as a rookie in 2024, then allowed 8 earned runs in 5 1/3 innings over six games in 2025.
Adam Macko Returns 1 Week After Option
On Sept. 12 in Phoenix, Texas optioned Macko to Round Rock when the club activated two players from the injured list. Saturday’s recall came seven days later.
In seven appearances for the Rangers, Macko has pitched 6 2/3 innings and allowed 12 hits and 6 earned runs, with 3 walks and 7 strikeouts, for an 8.10 ERA. His first recall came Aug. 28 before a series at the Milwaukee Brewers. Ahlstrom went to Round Rock in that move, too.
Texas acquired Macko from Toronto on Aug. 3 for infielder Josh Smith and minor league right-hander Josh Stephan, and the Rangers optioned him to Round Rock the same day. Smith won the 2024 American League Silver Slugger Award at the utility position with Texas.
With the Blue Jays, Macko went 2-0 with a 4.91 ERA over 22 games, one of them a start. He allowed 12 earned runs over 22 innings, with 10 walks and 23 strikeouts. His first 8 major league appearances were scoreless, covering 8 innings.
Macko made his major league debut May 18 against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. He was born in Bratislava, Slovakia, and the Rangers called him the first modern-day major leaguer born in Slovakia when they acquired him.
Entering Saturday, Texas was 77-77 and tied with the Houston Astros for first place in the American League West, with Houston holding the tiebreaker. The Rangers were also 1 game behind the Chicago White Sox for the third and final American League wild card, according to MLB.com’s postseason tracker.
