6 Texas Rangers players that have no business being on the playoff roster

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Just a couple weeks ago, it seemed like the Texas Rangers were going to fumble the 2023 season away thanks to some decidedly uninspired baseball that threatened to keep them out of the postseason entirely. However, they have turned things around lately including dominating the Angels last night and now have a magic number to win the AL West of just two.

A certain level of caution should be exercised until the Rangers actually clinch the division, but they are close enough that looking ahead to their playoff roster choices seems relatively safe enough. Most of Texas' roster choices this postseason are very straight forward and easy, but getting the most out of what they have is going to require some heartless decisions to be made.

Here are 6 Texas Rangers players that have no business being on the playoff roster

This is going to be a look at some guys that don't need to be on the Rangers' playoff roster for the first round. That last little bit is important because the ALDS is only a five game series with lots of days off built in which means teams can get away with carry less starting pitching. Playoff roster building also means giving more consideration to long relief options in case of emergencies as well as even pinch-running options. Game management in the postseason is a different animal and Texas will need to make sure they have all the tools they need available to them.

With that in mind, lets take a look and some Rangers players that have no business being on the playoff roster.

Andrew Heaney

When the Rangers signed Andrew Heaney to a two year deal last offseason, the hope was that he would be a source of reliable innings at the back end of the Texas rotation. However, that hasn't been how things have worked out and he now faces the very real possibility that he won't be contributing at all in the playoffs.

Instead of being a rotation workhorse, the Rangers started utilizing Heaney out of the bullpen in September and the results have been decidedly mixed. However, with Martin Perez also making that same transition and being more effective in that role than Heaney combined with the fact that Max Scherzer MIGHT be able to return for the postseason, there just doesn't seem like there is much room for a decidedly meh arm like Heaney.

Josh Sborz

The Rangers' pitching staff has earned a certain amount of scorn and has several candidates to be culled from the playoff roster, but one name that may not make the cut is Josh Sborz. When Sborz is right, he can be a very valuable arm out of the Rangers bullpen. However, his is a case where an injury layoff could create enough uncertainty that other bullpen arms need to be considered.

Sborz has been recovering from a hamstring injury for the last month or so and only just got activated on Wednesday from the IL. Texas will likely want to see how he looks in his return because, well, they need all the quality arms they can get. However, all of that potential rust going into a playoff series when Jake Latz pitched well in Sborz's absence may mean that Josh ends up getting left off the roster especially if he struggles these last few games of the season.

Jonathan Hernandez

The Rangers have a ton of lefties in their bullpen which makes losing righthanders a little more dubious. However, that shouldn't be an excuse to carry a subpar bullpen arm and that is where trying to carry Jonathan Hernandez on the playoff roster becomes problematic.

In 31 appearances for the Rangers this season, Hernandez has posted a 5.70 ERA and 4.76 FIP in 30 innings of work. For the second straight season, his walk rate has been too high and he has also seen a big jump in the number of home runs he gives up in 2023 as well. In the pressure cooker environment that is the postseason, Texas doesn't need a guy that is going to be giving opponents free baserunners and ample opportunities to change a game with one swing of a bat.

Travis Jankowski

This next one is a bit tougher because bench slots in the postseason come down to some philosophical choices. Robbie Grossman hasn't been good this season, but he does seem to be the most likely guy to get the first outfield bench spot. The question after that comes down to whether or not to carry a fifth outfielder and that is where the problem in carrying Travis Jankowski comes in.

Jankowski hasn't helped his own cause lately as he has just two hits over the last month, but the fundamental problem is that carrying that many outfielders just doesn't have much value in a playoff series. Ezequiel Duran isn't a good defender, but he can hit and more importantly, he can play a bunch of different positions including the outfield. That flexibility makes using a bench slot on him make more sense than bringing Jankowski along to be a defensive replacement.

Josh H. Smith

Much of what was said about Jankowski above applies to Josh Smith here as well. Yes, Smith can play in the dirt at multiple positions which makes him more likely than Jankowski to make the cut, but the Rangers still have Duran to fulfill that role in a pinch and can petition the commissioner for an injury replacement if a guy gets hurt.

The fundamental problem with Smith is that he can't hit. In 230 plate appearances this season, Smith has slashed .187/.307/.332 which is decidedly not great. If something happens and Texas needs to add him after the fact if an infielder gets hurt, so be it. However, carrying him from the start of a playoff series is a waste of a roster spot.

Cody Bradford

Going back to the bullpen again, the Rangers have a bunch of southpaw relievers and frankly, not all of them need to be playing in the postseason. One name in particular that jumps out as a guy that needs to be culled for the playoffs is Cory Bradford.

Ultimately, this decision comes down to the question "when would you be comfortable having Texas put Cody Bradford in a playoff game?". He has a 5.30 ERA and has given up a ton of hard contact this year with even opposing lefties having an .800 OPS against him. If the answer to the above question is only when the outcome of the game is already decided (which seems likely), the Rangers have better arms that can fulfill that role and Bradford's spot needs to go to someone else.

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