Rangers quietly promote promising reliever, cut ties with a World Series hero

The Texas Rangers began June as busy beavers, making some tweaks and adjustments to the roster. First, the club signed former No. 4 overall prospect turned journeyman Jarred Kelenic to a minor league deal. That wasn't the end, however. The club also called up left-handed reliever Robby Ahlstrom, setting the scene for what should become his major league debut.

Ahlstrom, 26, had been lights out down at Triple-A Round Rock, making 21 appearances and tossing 29 1/3 innings to the tune of a 2.76 ERA. The southpaw had been acquired alongside former Rangers reliever Albert Abreu from the New York Yankees in exchange for Jose Trevino.

Walks have been an issue for Ahlstrom in the past, but this year, he's cut them down to an impressive 6.9%, while striking out batters 28.4% of the time. Opposing hitters have managed just a .185 batting average against him.

He's getting this well-deserved opportunity in part because the Rangers placed 40-year-old Chris Martin on the 15-day IL. Suffering from a shoulder impingement, it could be a while before we see Martin and his 7.84 ERA again, if ever, as this serves as a prime chance for Ahlstrom to steal a roster spot for good.

In sad news, the Rangers have cut ties with World Series hero Josh Sborz

While Ahlstrom is something of an exciting new beginning, even if on a small scale, we regret to report a sad farewell, as the Rangers have released reliever Josh Sborz from Round Rock.

Best known for his lights-out performance in the 2023 postseason, in which he posted a 0.75 ERA over 10 appearances and 12 innings pitched, Sborz was the one who secured the World Series title for Texas as he floated a curveball that clipped the top of the zone, striking out Ketel Marte and clinching the victory.

It's unfortunate that a shoulder injury essentially crushed his momentum after that sizzling performance. Sborz missed a good chunk of 2024 before being sidelined for all of 2025 while recovering from surgery. He was then non-tendered and brought back on a minor league deal ahead of 2026, and faced his last stand as a Ranger with an invite to spring training.

Now we'll wish him well and hope that he can latch on somewhere else to continue his career. Whatever happens, Rangers fans will never forget him coming through in the biggest moments.

The Rangers made a flurry of other miscellaneous moves

The margins of the roster will look a little different over the next few days, though none of these moves are likely to have long-term implications.

The club put Sam Haggarty on the bereavement list and called up utility man Cody Freeman in his stead.

Texas also made another move to shuffle the bottom of the bullpen depth chart, sending down Gavin Collyer and recalling Luis Curvelo to replace him. Collyer had managed a 3.71 ERA; however, it mostly appeared to be fool's gold as he walked nearly as many batters (14) as he had struck out (15) over his 17 innings of work.

Don't expect much better from Curvelo. The 25-year-old right-hander was up earlier and posted a 5.40 ERA over five innings in the bigs. He posted a ghastly 10.13 BB/9 during his time in Round Rock this year. This feels like a placeholder kind of move rather than anything substantial.

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