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Texas Rangers News: Pederson’s big step, Mariners fire warning shot, bullpen shakeup

Joc Pederson shines in rehab debut as the Texas Rangers reshuffle bullpen and the Mariners make a playoff statement.
ByOliver Vandervoort|
Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Texas Rangers first baseman Joc Pederson's start to his rehab assignment can only be described as "so far, so good." Pederson is officially on the long road back to the big leagues after missing several months with a broken hand. He took a big step on Thursday night in his first rehab game with the Triple-A Frisco Roughriders.

Pederson played DH and batted leadoff for the minor league team and did about as well as anyone could possibly expect for a player that hasn't played in a live game since May.

The Texas Rangers slugger, who is hoping to help the team get back into the playoff race when he returns to the Bigs, went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. While it would have been nice to see Pederson do more than two singles, it's a lovely first game back. It's not clear how long he'll be on rehab, but the team is hopeful he'll be ready for a callup soon.

Jon Gray in and Luke Jackson DFA'd

Speaking of Rangers players who missed a ton of time, pitcher Jon Gray saw his first action of the season this week. In order to add him to the roster the team parted ways with a reliever who was originally thought to be one of the top candidates to be its closer.

Gray's first outing was on July 23 when he pitched two innings and allowed one hit and no earned runs. It was a positive return to action after missing the entirety of the season until now.

Seattle Mariners make their move with Josh Naylor

With the Rangers hot on the heels of the Mariners in the Wild Card race, Seattle pulled the trigger on adding an extra bat to its roster. The M's traded for Josh Naylor.

The 28-year-old Naylor is hitting .292 with 11 homers and 59 RBIs this season, which was his first with the D-backs. He was acquired from the Cleveland Guardians in a trade during the offseason.

With Seattle adding Naylor and reportedly still eyeing Eugenio Suarez, the Texas Rangers need to be ready to make their own moves soon. And at this point, it certainly seems like they need to be buyers.

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