MILWAUKEE — Right-hander Carter Baumler and left-hander Robert Garcia are expected to join Triple-A Round Rock this week, according to The Dallas Morning News. Both pitchers have been out since April.
Rosters across the majors will expand from 26 to 28 players on Sept. 1, and the pitcher limit will increase from 13 to 14 for the rest of the regular season. Over the past week in Arizona, Baumler and Garcia threw bullpen sessions and faced hitters in live batting practice.
“It’s a good sign,” Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “But we’ll see how rehab goes. Obviously, Jack’s [Leiter] didn’t go great, so it’s a rehab assignment for a reason. And there is still some progression you want to see. But it’s a good sign.”
The intercostal strain put Baumler on the 15-day injured list on April 5. It was Texas’ first roster move of the season. Luis Curvelo came up from Round Rock in his place.
“I’ve had them before,” Schumaker explained. “You never know what the rehab looks like. It’s not an oblique, it’s an intercostal, so hopefully it’s just a couple week thing.”
Baumler started an assignment at Round Rock later in April, was shut down on April 28, and moved to the 60-day injured list on May 23.
On Opening Day, March 26 at Philadelphia, Baumler made his major league debut with a scoreless inning. He made three more appearances before the injury, the last of them a scoreless eighth on April 4 against the Cincinnati Reds. His season line shows 5 2/3 innings pitched, 2 earned runs, 6 walks, and 6 strikeouts. When he was injured, he had logged more innings than any other reliever on the Texas staff.
Baumler landed in Texas through the Rule 5 draft. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected him from the Baltimore Orioles system on Dec. 10, 2025, then traded him to the Rangers that day for minor league right-hander Jaiker Garcia and cash. Baltimore selected him in the fifth round of the 2020 draft from Dowling Catholic High School in Iowa. He opted to sign for $1.5 million instead of going to TCU. He had Tommy John surgery that October. A shoulder procedure came later. Over four minor league seasons, he pitched a total of 88 2/3 innings.
Robert Garcia’s Left Shoulder Inflammation
Garcia has not pitched since April 16. Before this year, he had been on the injured list once in his career, for the flu with Washington.
“This one is a little different,” Garcia said. “The MRI was good. It did show a little more inflammation than I usually have. There’s no structural damage, which is good, but I think right now we’ve just got to take it day by day.”
Garcia was given an anti-inflammatory injection and rested for a week. Texas placed him on the 15-day injured list on April 23 with left shoulder inflammation, retroactive to April 20, and later moved him to the 60-day list on May 31.
“I don’t really know what to do with myself right now,” Garcia explained. “I know I’ll be back at some point, but I have to be smart, I have to be ready to go.”
Before his injury, Garcia pitched 8 innings over 9 relief appearances, going 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA. Left-handed batters went 0-for-13 against him. The Rangers acquired him from the Washington Nationals in December 2024 for Nathaniel Lowe, and he appeared in a career-high 72 games for Washington in 2024. He opened this season in a closer committee.
Activating either pitcher would require a 40-man roster spot, since both are on the 60-day injured list.
Peyton Gray Reports Arm Soreness
Rookie right-hander Peyton Gray reported arm soreness Sunday and will undergo further examination, according to The Dallas Morning News. Gray allowed 3 hits and 2 runs over an inning Saturday at American Family Field. A fielding error behind him extended the frame.
Over the past two weeks, Gray has allowed 7 runs in 7 innings, and his ERA is up to 3.93. He has worked 55 innings across 48 appearances, third on the staff in games pitched behind Tyler Alexander and Cole Winn.
Texas selected Gray’s contract from Round Rock on April 23, the day Garcia went on the injured list. He debuted that night against the Pirates at age 30, the oldest Rangers debut since left-hander Hyeon-jong Yang in 2021. He had signed with the club as a minor league free agent in January 2025, seven years after entering pro ball undrafted out of Florida Gulf Coast University.
Jack Leiter Setback at Round Rock
Right-hander Jack Leiter reported biceps soreness after a one-inning rehab appearance at Round Rock on Wednesday. Schumaker said afterward that a return to the rotation this season had become more difficult. Leiter underwent ankle surgery on June 23 and has not pitched for Texas since June 18.
Round Rock closes its regular season on Sept. 20.
Texas entered Sunday’s series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers at 66-70, second in the American League West and 2 games behind the Houston Astros. The Athletics come to Globe Life Field on Monday for three games. First pitch is 7:05 p.m. CT.
