The Texas Rangers defense of their World Series victory in 2023 hasn't exactly gone according to plan, and it's safe to say that injuries have played a big role in their woes. Their most recent move saw star pitcher Max Scherzer hit the injured list due to right shoulder fatigue, so the front office had to adapt quickly and find a way to replace him for the time being.
Of course, Texas sold off some of their parts, such as another starter in Michael Lorenzen, at the trade deadline, so they need guys to come in and eat innings for them. That led to the Rangers turning to the free agent market, where they added former Boston Red Sox reliever Chase Anderson to their roster on a minor-league deal.
Via Jon Heyman:
“Chase Anderson signing with Rangers on minors deal.”
Rangers looking for Chase Anderson to shore up pitching depth
Anderson found himself without a team after the Red Sox designated him for assignment after their deadline day dealings, but now he latches on with the Rangers. While Anderson has spent a lot of time as a starter throughout his career, he primarily worked out of Boston's bullpen, where he put up some mediocre-at-best numbers (0-2, 4.85 ERA, 3 SV, 35 K, 1.25 WHIP).
With their playoff hopes pretty much out the window at this point, Texas is just looking for guys who can come in and take the mound for them right now. Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney are leading the way in the starting rotation for the time being, but guys like Scherzer, Jon Gray, and Jacob deGrom are all on the injured list, and Lorenzen is no longer on the team.
As a result, the rotation has been pieced together pretty much all year long. Dane Dunning is holding his own, and guys like Jose Urena and Cody Bradford have been rotating between the rotation and the bullpen. Anderson's role isn't immediately clear, but he will likely be asked to eat some innings to just help the Rangers get through the rest of the season.
The addition of Anderson isn't exactly a game-changer, but it was something the front office had to do after Scherzer returned to the injured list. On a minor league deal, Anderson still has to find his way to the majors, but given Texas' current pitching situation, it seems safe to assume that he will be pitching in the majors for his new team in the near future.
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