Rangers News: Josh Jung injury, Astros bail out Jacob deGrom, the hopeful return of 'Big Game Nate'

Do the Texas Rangers want to win the AL West? It's a valid question. The team seems to fall apart whenever it has a chance to pull ahead, but whenever they appear to be on death's doorstep, they rally. It's been exhausting to watch, frankly.

With just two games to play, the Rangers are still alive. They don't control their own destiny, however. While they're tied with the Houston Astros for first place in the division, Houston holds the tiebreaker, meaning Texas needs to win out and the Astros must lose at least one of their next two games. No pressure.

With the pressure rising, there are some key developments going on that, in typical fashion, make Texas's future as murky as ever.

Rangers get awful news following Josh Jung hit by pitch

One can make the case that the Rangers' offensive engine this season hasn't been Corey Seager or Wyatt Langford, but instead has been Josh Jung. The offense cratered when he was on the IL. His run since returning from his calf strain, a .341/.396/.636 line with three homers, was a huge shot in the arm for the lineup.

However, Jung was hit in the hand by a Joe Ryan pitch in the first inning last night, and now our worst fears are confirmed. X-rays show a right-hand fracture that will ensure the breakout star has little nothing more to say about the playoff chase.

This is going to put a lot of pressure on the rest of the lineup to step up. Slumping players like Wyatt Langford and Ezequiel Duran can no longer hide in the shadows. If they do, it's game over.

Jacob deGrom lays an egg, but the Astros bail the Rangers out anyway

Jacob deGrom has taken us on some wild swings recently. After two brilliant, turn-back-the-clock outings, he turned in a clunker against the Toronto Blue Jays. Texas sorely needed a rebound start for the 38-year-old ace against the Twins, and initially everything seemed to be going as planned.

The Rangers staked deGrom to a two-run lead and he responded with a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the first, but it was all down hill from there. The bottom of the second saw deGrom completely unravel, with the sixth and final run of the frame coming on a wild pitch from the right-hander. In the end, he'd give up eight earned runs from the second time this season. He entered 2026 with only two such starts in his entire career.

With the Rangers faltering, the Astros had a chance to break the tie and truly gain the upper hand in the AL West, especially with their ace Hunter Brown on the mound. With a 1-0 lead in the sixth, Houston botched a double-play ball that put Brown on the ropes. After a sac bunt to move the runners to second and third, Astros manager Joe Espada decided to pull Brown, and his bullpen promptly imploded.

Ultimately, they surrendered six runs in the inning, and while they fought back, it wasn't enough, and they suffered a 6-5 defeat. With that, both the Rangers and Astros have 81 losses, ensuring that the division champ will not have a winning record this season.

Rangers tab Nathan Eovaldi for Saturday's start

Texas enters Saturday in a must-win scenario. Even if both the Rangers and Astros lose today, the best Texas can do is finish in a tie, meaning Houston goes to the playoffs and the Rangers stay home. With a battered rotation, Skip Schumaker is turning to Nathan Eovaldi to start what could be the biggest game of the season.

Since coming off the IL, Eovaldi has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen. He's had some truly stunning performances, like the four shutout innings he tossed on September 16 against the Boston Red Sox. However, over his last two outings, he's given up four earned runs over two innings pitched.

What kind of length he'll be able to give the Rangers remains to be seen, but he's earned the nickname "Big Game Nate" for a reason. Now it's time for him to live up to that reputation.

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