Rangers latest injury update is a crushing blow to the bullpen and should spur urgency

It's never a dull day in the world of the Texas Rangers as the roster carousel spins and spins without ever truly stopping. Injuries have been a huge part of the club's story this season, and while there have been some heroic performances from a rag-tag group of injury replacements, one has to wonder how many more blows the Rangers can take. They were dealt another one today with Jakob Junis hitting the 15-day IL.

Junis has been a vital part of the Texas bullpen, logging 35 1/3 innings over 31 appearances and posting a 2.80 ERA as the primary high-leverage arm in front of Jacob Latz. Junis was pulled from the June 29 matchup against the Cleveland Guardians, suffering heat exhaustion. That was a scare, but this is a threat.

The Rangers are recalling 40-year-old righty Chris Martin, who has just recovered from a shoulder injury to replace Junis, but that should hardly inspire confidence as Martin tallied a ghastly 7.84 over 10 1/3 innings earlier in the year for the club. The hope is that Junis needs just the minimum 15-days to return to action, but that remains to be seen

Jakob Junis's injury highlights the fragile state of the Rangers' bullpen as the trade deadline approaches

Latz, Junis, Tyler Alexander, and Peyton Gray have been stalwarts, and all four have essentially carried the bullpen to decent results so far this season. The current makeup of the pen also includes three young rookies in Robby Ahlstrom, Gavin Collyer, and Ben Peoples, as well as the struggling Cole Winn.

Winn has been a real problem, throwing 28 innings with a 7.07 ERA. Collyer has really struggled with walks, posting a 17.5% BB rate over 18 innings thus far, and Peoples was acquired in a trade earlier this week with the Chicago White Sox and has yet to throw a big league pitch.

Ahlstrom has done the most to earn Skip Schumaker's trust, pitching some in high-leverage, though the results have been mixed with a 3.86 ERA and a 4.31 FIP over 11 2/3 innings. With it also being reported that Jalen Beeks underwent season-ending elbow surgery, it would seem that the left-handed Ahlstrom has the best chance to stick on the roster long-term.

Assuming Junis misses just the minimum, this should serve as a warning to Chris Young that the bullpen needs reinforcements by the August 3 trade deadline. Should Junis suffer a setback, the Rangers will need to attack the need with even greater urgency.

This latest injury news might also explain why the club was so quick to reunite with Joe Ross, who was DFA'd just days ago. Young also inked lefty Marco Gonzales to a minor league pact not too long ago, and while the former Mariners southpaw has struggled in the minors while attempting to come back from flexor tendon and UCL surgery in his left elbow, he could eventually be another depth option that can eat innings.

Credit to Texas for preparing by accumulating depth with big league experience, but more impact is needed. Before Junis's injury, the club found itself turning to arms like Winn too often in big spots, and now with the setup man laid up, the frequency of these less-than-ideal appearances will increase.

More impact arms are needed, and if the Rangers fail to act, it could be the reason that they find themselves sitting at home come October.

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