Rangers under-the-radar reliever's emergence may help explain quiet trade deadline

The Texas Rangers had a clear need ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline: bullpen help. Texas improved its bullpen by acquiring right-hander Chase Silseth, but otherwise didn't do much. The Rangers did acquire left-hander Adam Macko from the Toronto Blue Jays in the Josh Smith trade, but Macko is currently with Triple-A Round Rock.

The return of Jordan Montgomery and Cody Bradford may have influenced the Rangers' decision not to seek more bullpen help ahead of the deadline. Another reason could be the emergence of left-hander Robby Ahlstrom.

Ahlstrom, 27, made his MLB debut in June after being in the minors since 2022. He had a rough 7.07 ERA through his first 17 appearances. But since then, he's pitched as well as the Rangers could've asked for.

Over his last 12 outings, Ahlstrom has thrown 10 2/3 scoreless innings while allowing just four hits and one walk with 13 strikeouts. For a bullpen that has struggled much of the year, Ahlstrom's strong stretch has been a much-needed development for Texas, which currently has a one-game lead over the Detroit Tigers for the third American League Wild Card spot.

If Ahlstrom hadn't become one of the Rangers' best relievers lately, seemingly out of nowhere, it's possible Texas would've looked to add another reliever ahead of the deadline. But with Ahlstrom's emergence and Montgomery and Cal Quantrill being added to the bullpen mix, the Rangers probably felt comfortable by just trading for Silseth and Macko.

Ahlstrom throws a mid-90s fastball (33.6%), mid-80s slider (24.3%), mid-90s sinker (22.3%), mid-80s changeup (14.0%), and low-80s curveball (5.9%).

Rangers LHP Robby Ahlstrom's emergence has seemingly come out of nowhere

Ahlstrom was never a highly-ranked prospect. In fact, he never ranked among the Rangers' top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline.

The New York Yankees selected Ahlstrom in the seventh round (No. 213 overall) of the 2021 MLB Draft from Oregon. He didn't last long in the Yankees organization, as New York traded him and right-hander Albert Abreu to the Rangers for catcher Jose Trevino on April 2, 2022.

Ahlstrom's first minor-league season didn't go as planned. Well, he posted a solid 3.55 ERA in 38 innings across nine appearances (6 starts) in Single-A, leading to his promotion to High-A. His struggles began at the High-A level, as he recorded a 6.14 ERA in 51 1/3 innings over 13 outings (11 starts) at the High-A level in 2022.

Texas converted Ahlstrom to a full-time relief role in 2023. He recorded a 3.86 ERA in 58 1/3 innings between High-A and Double-A that season.

Then, Ahlstrom had a 2.53 ERA in 2024 and a 3.28 ERA in 2025 between Double-A and Triple-A. He finally earned his promotion to the majors after recording a 2.76 ERA over 29 1/3 innings with Triple-A Round Rock this season.

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