Rangers bullpen plan jolted by latest injury setback

While the Texas Rangers' sweep of the Cleveland Guardians over the weekend has the team looking like it might be back in the playoff race, the club will have to try to keep things going without a couple of key pieces. Earlier this week, it was confirmed that second baseman Marcus Semien is out until at least mid-September. Now, reliever Chris Martin had a setback during his rehab.

According to Shawn McFarland, Martin threw about 15 pitches before he knew something was wrong. The Rangers reliever reportedly walked off the mound in frustration. He's now expected to go back to "square one."

Chris Martin’s rehab setback forces the Texas Rangers to reset their bullpen timeline

The Texas Rangers pitcher has been trying to work his way back from a left calf strain. He's been on the shelf since July 21 and was initially given a 4-to-6-week timeline for return. However, the 39-year-old will likely need more than six weeks and shouldn't be expected back until mid-September, at the earliest.

What makes the news that much worse is that this is the second time Martin has essentially had to start over in his rehab completely. He had similar problems on August 12

"He still feels some symptoms in that area," Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. "It’s a little setback in his progress. We’ll continue to work on him and see when we can get him back out there the next time."

The Texas Rangers would love to get Chris Martin back on the active roster ASAP. Before his injury, he was having a very solid campaign. While he's just 1-6 on the year, he's posted a 2.36 earned run with two saves. If he can return to the bullpen while the team is still in playoff contention, he could be quite the asset.