The Texas Rangers are one of the best teams in all of baseball. Their 72-53 record is the fifth-best in all of MLB behind only the Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Tampa Bay Rays. Only the Atlanta Braves have a better run differential than the Rangers. The Braves are also the only team that has scored more runs than the Rangers this season. The Rangers are a legitimate contender this season.
But that doesn't mean the Rangers could use some extra help. Though they acquired Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery at the trade deadline, their bullpen hasn't been that great all season long. Every team could always use more depth. The Rangers are spiraling a little bit, as they've lost five games in a row and are now only 1.5 games ahead of the Houston Astros for the lead in the AL West.
Rosters expand in September, and that usually means teams call up promising prospects to either get them reps in the midst of a lost season, or to help with a playoff push. The Texas Rangers fall with the latter. Not that they need to call up a ton of prospects to help with their chances of making and advancing in the playoffs, but there are a few prospects they have that could be of service in the short term. Three, in particular, stand out as possible options.
3) Jack Leiter
Jack Leiter seems the least likely to get called up and help with the Rangers this season. The son of former MLB pitcher Al Leiter formed a wrecking crew alongside Kumar Rocker while at Vanderbilt University. Leiter was 13-4 in two seasons at Vandy with an obscene 2.08 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and 14.4 K/9 innings ratio. There was a reason the Rangers selected him with the second overall pick in the 2021 MLB Amateur Draft.
However, things haven't gone so swimmingly for Leiter in the minors. In 37 career minor league starts, Leiter is 5-15. His ERA has ballooned all the way to 5.53 and his WHIP is 1.538. However, Leiter was still considered one of the top prospects in baseball. The Rangers have had bullpen issues. They need help there. Leiter seems unlikely to contribute right away but he's someone the Rangers should keep an eye on to see if he could be a contributor sooner than expected.
2) Owen White
If the Rangers are to call up a pitching prospect, Owen White is the most likely candidate. White has made a couple of relief appearances with the Rangers earlier this season, but they didn't go very well. In four big league innings, he's given up five earned runs and two home runs. That's not great.
That shouldn't stop the Rangers from trying again with White. According to his Baseball Reference page, he was ranked as the 66th-best prospect in MLB by MLB.com. He put up a solid 3.74 ERA in the minor leagues as well as a 1.187 WHIP and a 10.1 K/9 innings ratio. And, as mentioned earlier, the Rangers' bullpen has been very leaky this season. White needs to be better with his opportunities, but he can help the Rangers this season with their bullpen issues.
1) Evan Carter
Teams can't ever have enough bats, and Evan Carter sure fits that bill. MLB.com ranked him as the 41st-best prospect in MLB and it is easy to see why. Carter has lit up the minors hitting lines of .280/.408/.459/.867. Carter hasn't progressed to Triple-A yet but with how successful he's been so far, a promotion should be in the works sooner than later.