ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said the scouting report he received on Tyler Alexander from the left-hander’s former TCU coach has held up through 63 appearances.
Schumaker spoke with Rangers Sports Network before Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Globe Life Field. Alexander had worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings across the eighth and ninth in Friday’s 7-6 loss, striking out 1.
Schumaker said he called the coach who had Alexander at TCU before the season and asked for background. The coach told him Alexander would be his favorite player by the end of the year, and that he could start, close, or pitch in the middle of a game.
“Extremely valuable. I reached out to the TCU head coach who had him in college, and I just asked kind of some background on Tyler. And he said, by the end of the year, he’ll be your favorite player,” Schumaker said. “And so that gave me all I needed to know, because he said he’ll do anything you want. He can start. He can close. He can be the middle guy, and he’ll be really good in that clubhouse and especially in the bullpen. And he’s been exactly that. One of the favorite guys around the clubhouse to run into throughout the day. Always positive and has been exceptional.”
“He’s closed games. He’s opened for us. I put him in really good, really tough spots, knowing that they’ll pinch hit and we’ll get a righty up to bat,” Schumaker continued. “And he delivers because he’s got a really good changeup and a cutter in on him. So, yeah, Tyler’s been fantastic and a really good offseason sign.”
Schumaker did not name the coach. Alexander pitched two seasons at TCU in 2014 and 2015 under Jim Schlossnagle, who is now the head coach at Texas.
Tyler Alexander’s Career-High Workload For The Texas Rangers
Through Friday, Alexander is 5-2 with a 3.26 ERA and 4 saves over 60 2/3 innings. He has struck out 53 and walked 18, and he has allowed 2 home runs. His 63 appearances are a career high. His previous high was 52 in 2025, split between Milwaukee and the Chicago White Sox.
Four of his 63 outings have been starts. He has finished 15 games. His 120 ERA+ is the best of his eight major league seasons, ahead of the 115 he posted with Detroit in the shortened 2020 season.
Alexander signed a one-year contract with Texas in December. The deal carries a $1.125 million base salary and up to $1.125 million in performance bonuses, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported at the time. He went 5-14 with a 4.98 ERA over 97 2/3 innings in 2025, and Milwaukee designated him for assignment on June 1 of that year before he signed with the White Sox.
Alexander grew up in Southlake and pitched at Carroll High School. Detroit drafted him in the 23rd round in 2013 out of high school and again in the second round in 2015 out of TCU. He made his major league debut with the Tigers on July 3, 2019.
Rangers Bullpen Usage Entering Saturday
Texas entered Friday with a 4.36 bullpen ERA, which ranked 23rd in the majors. Jacob Latz has 28 saves and a 1.63 ERA and was an All-Star this season. The Rangers have used 34 different pitchers.
On Friday, Alexander entered in the eighth after Kumar Rocker allowed 6 runs, 5 of them earned, over 5 innings behind two openers. Elias Díaz cut a 6-1 deficit to 6-5 with a seventh-inning grand slam, and Junior Caminero singled home an insurance run in the ninth.
The Rangers are 70-72. They trail Houston by 3 games in the American League West and Cleveland by 2 games for the third wild card with 20 games left.
Jacob deGrom (10-9, 4.00 ERA) starts Saturday against Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen (14-5, 2.95). First pitch is 6:05 p.m. CT on Rangers Sports Network.
