Rangers re-sign reliever to minor league contract

The Texas Rangers re-signed right-handed reliever Josh Sborz to a minor league contract on Thursday, after he was released earlier in the week following an opt-out that sent him into the free-agent market.

The 32-year-old has previously spent parts of four MLB seasons with the Rangers from 2021 to 2024, recording a 4.86 ERA across 150 regular-season innings. Over his broader major league career, he owns a 13-13 record with a 4.96 ERA in 154 games, across 163.1 innings with 193 strikeouts and 69 walks. He originally entered professional baseball when the Los Angeles Dodgers selected him in the 2015 competitive balance round and made his MLB debut with Los Angeles in 2019 before being traded to Texas ahead of the 2021 season.

Sborz took center stage in the 2023 postseason, finishing with a 0.75 ERA over 10 appearances and 12 innings, striking out 13 and walking just four. He also produced 12 innings of one-run relief during the Rangers championship run and threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings to secure the save in World Series Game 5 at Chase Field, clinching the title.

However, injuries affected Sborz’s trajectory afterward. He was limited to 16 2/3 innings in 2024 and then missed the entire following season while recovering from shoulder surgery and a rehab setback that affected his velocity recovery.

While Sborz has been healthy this season, he failed to earn a roster spot. At Triple-A Round Rock, he gave up 13 runs in 14.1 innings, striking out 17 of 65 hitters. However, control problems and home run issues hurt him, as he issued nine walks and surrendered six home runs. He later stepped away from game action for mechanical adjustments and had a short stint in Double-A before rejoining Round Rock on May 27. In his latest outing, he was again tagged for five hits in two innings.

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