Jon Gray's activation leads to unceremonious exit for a Rangers' reliever

Jon Gray suffered an unfortunate injury very early in 2025 which has caused him to miss a very extended amount of time. His arrival means that one person on the 40 man roster had to be released.

There aren't many wasted spot on any MLB teams 40-man rosters. The activation of Gray meant Chris Young would likely have to release a veteran out of options.

That option turned out to be Luke Jackson. He has history with Texas from being drafted by them to suddenly appearing in spring training this year seemingly out of nowhere.

His time in Texas has been very up and down. He quickly was given the closer role early in the year before a really deep down swing. Nobody has fully stepped into the role since but has rather gone to the hot hand.

This has been on the horizon for a while with Gray, Pederson, and Sborz due for activation from the IL this summer. The timing with this so close to the trade deadline is troublesome but very much welcomed by fans.

This allows Gray to step up and fill a starter spot or bullpen role. There is a hole in the bullpen currently that Chris Young is looking to fill at the trade deadline. Gray doesn't appear to have any restrictions since the injury Gray suffered was a fluke from a line drive that struck him.

Gray has been against going to the bullpen in the past but willingly stepped up in the 2023 World Series run. With a seemingly clear path to buying at the deadline, Gray will likely be in a hybrid role similar to Jacob Latz but is currently slotted to go into the bullpen full time.

This is great news to the Rangers in their current spot. They are beginning to get healthy at the right time. Many rehab assignments have been going on recently and reinforcements are coming. The only questions now is how the players coming back fit into the current trade deadline plan.