Texas Rangers reliever Josh Sborz will need additional time and progress before making his way back to the Major League roster.
ARLINGTON — After two outings during his rehab assignment, Josh Sborz isn’t quite ready for a return to the big leagues, according to Rangers manager Bruce Bochy. The right-hander, recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, still needs to demonstrate more before the team clears him for activation. Bochy emphasized that Sborz must “check off some boxes,” such as pitching multiple innings and showing more consistency.
Sborz’s rehab was recently shifted from Triple-A Round Rock to Double-A Frisco. In his latest appearance with the RoughRiders, he pitched one inning, allowing one earned run on one hit, while walking two and striking out one — a shaky performance that suggests more time is needed. In his prior outing with Round Rock on July 12, he lasted just two-thirds of an inning, giving up two hits and one walk while striking out one.
Sborz has been sidelined the entire 2024 season due to a lingering shoulder issue, which he admits has been difficult to move past mentally after dealing with it for over a year. Though his fastball is clocking above 90 mph and his curveball has regained shape, his slider remains slightly slower than he’d like.
Last season, Sborz appeared in 17 games, posting a 3.86 ERA over 16.1 innings and playing a key role in the Rangers’ World Series run, notably closing out Game 5. Acquired from the Dodgers in 2021, the veteran reliever holds a career 13-13 record with a 4.96 ERA, 193 strikeouts, and a .238 opponent batting average over 154 appearances.
In short, while Sborz is making progress, more work lies ahead before he can rejoin the Texas bullpen.
