Texas Rangers make odd trade for Robbie Grossman while Dane Dunning suffers shoulder injury

the Rangers took a massive three out of four in Oakland they also made a heads scratching trade for a 2023 World Series champ and the injuring plague continues to absolutely obliterate the Rangers talk about all that more on this episode of lockdown Rangers let's get into it you are locked on Rangers your daily Texas Rangers podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day you are locked on to the World Series champion Texas Rangers I'm Bryce Patrick a cripplingly addicted Texas Rangers Fan covering this team for 11 seasons including all six as the founder and host of this podcast thank you all so much for making lockon Rangers your first listen every single day if not already you can follow me on Twitter at Bryce Patrick follow show at lockon Rangers Hit subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform and on YouTube where the best way can help gr the show is to comment nearly any single thing below now before we get into the absolutely jam-pack Wednesday that was for your Texas Rangers this episode is brought to you by Monopoly Go game off we got to talk more about Monopoly go this fast-paced game lets you team up with friends for tournaments to unlock awesome prizes like unique stickers for trading cool playing pieces and hilarious emojies for taunting your friends so download Monopoly go now free on Google Play or the App Store game on now the the Rangers took three out of four in Oakland they have won four straight series they sit at top the AL West with a one game lead over the Seattle manners the Rangers are at 22 and 17 they have according to baseball reference a 60.7% chance to make the postseason their Pythagorean record is exactly what their regular record is and this it was just probably the most oin series of all time at at least that I've been watching and paying close attention and that jumps into my memory of the Forefront at least the last like 15 years this was just such a very Oakland series which is to say painful weird frustrating and just completely head-scratchingly Bonkers a four game series where the Rangers played four games in 3 days night game on Monday Day game on Tuesday and then a scheduled double header on Wednesday before the off day that is so incredibly desperately needed today as I am recording this but the reindeers took three out of four they did their job and they emerged with while still on top of the ALS despite the wackiness despite the injuries despite the incredibly frustrating wins that happened in this series I mean the Rangers only against the oak A's could you score 11 runs in the first two innings and it still feel like a frustrating barely a win even though the Rangers won by seven runs on Tuesday and in this second game of the double header the Rangers dropped the first one Michael lorenzza just did not quite have it in this one six runs for him in six Innings but the the good news of that first game of this double header the Rangers only used two pitchers and since they were losing heading into the the bottom of the ninth inning the game was over and they only had to throw eight Innings of the pitching staff and they only had to use two pitchers Cowin coming in and going a couple of innings did give up three runs I believe all of them on the Home Run um but you know it was fine because the Rangers are were going for a split in this double header they had Jack ligher called up for the second game the Rangers offense was able to break it open a little bit early on in this one but just a back and forth back and forth seesaw event the Rangers scoring four runs in the third three in the eighth two in the ninth inning to just barely hold off with a one-run win which when you score 12 runs you should probably win pretty comfortably and Jack lighter's two starts have been just Bonkers game for the Rangers but two games the Rangers have won in four game series to pull out Series wins um so some some similarities there and uh yeah lighter was was not great in this game against the a going into it I thought all right lighter gives up a lot of home runs and strikes out a lot of guys and what is this oakin A's offense do well they strike out a crap ton and they hit a bunch of home runs so this is either going to go very well or very poorly and it was just moderately poorly his defense did let him down again with a couple of unearned runs in this one six runs total for him in the four Innings of work but did not walk anybody did not walk anybody in four Innings of work just three strikeouts though which is not what I thought we'd see from lighter this is one of the most swinging and missing as teams in baseball this Oak A's Squad and apparently I think we knew this after the three home run game but Shay langers might just be the best hitter on the planet well just against the Rangers but seven RBIs for him in this in this double header not just in the series but in the double header seven RBI for him he was a single shy of the cycle in the first game of this double header and then he goes and drives in more runs in this one heck five of the A's runs in the first game were driven in by none other than Shay Lang leers and of the nine that they scored so maybe just don't pitch to Shay langers anymore just as a general rule be be moderately careful when you're pitching to shaying lers cuz that guy just loves hitting against the Rangers but you know who loves hitting against the A's it's Marcus freaking Simeon who had an absolutely incredible double header and an exceptional series as well three hits in both legs of the double header including a solo home run his seventh of the year which was hit 112.1 miles hour off the bat off of JP SE that is the hardest hit ball of his career at least that has been tracked in the stat cast era and fun fact it wasn't the only player who had the hardest hit ball of their career in this double header in the night game of the double header or I guess later afternoon because technically it was 3:30 in Oakland when they started the second game of this double header maybe it was 4:30 not entirely sure of my West Coast math and remembering exactly when it started but old Garcia hit a 11 16.1 mph double an RBI double in the second game of this double header that's not only the hardest hit ball of his career the hardest hit by any Ranger this season and maybe even harder hit than anybody had last year as well this is an incredibly hard hit and Adas has had a lot of really hard hit balls in the series also had quite a few strikeouts it's been a little bit of an All or Nothing um approach for adolis the last like week or so not entirely sure he's 100% healthy but uh I think he is he might might be playing through something maybe that's just wild speculation um but seeing him go one for five in this one with three strikeouts in the second game of this double header um it just looked like something was a little bit off the reinders got great offense up and down this lineup not only the multiple three hit games from maras Simon Nathaniel lwh had yet another game where he reached base four times that's at least twice in this Oakland series it might be I think three times since that Saturday game against the Royals where Nathaniel low has reached base at least four times a couple of hits a couple of walks three RBIs for low in this one three RB in a multi-hit game from Jonah Heim who also loves hitting against his former team in Oakland a three hit day from Ezekiel Duran and leot Taris offensively continues to be an absolute Force he's now got an 11 game on Bas streak and during that 11 game on Bas streak he's got a slash line of 357 438 571 a 1,9 Ops with seven RBIs from the nine spot in 11 games and 13 runs scored it's a big part of this Rangers offense it's a big part of this Rangers offense is the bottom of this lineup getting on base for those guys at the top in Marcus siman in well in game two Evan Carter in in low and Seager giving those guys opportunities with runners in scoring position and those guys have been catching and they have been fantastic in the clutch and the Rangers offense dated again scoring 12 runs without a homer heck in the second game of this series of this double header excuse me the ra only had one extra base hit just one to score 12 runs and it was that RBI double from adulas Garcia Rangers went nine for 20 with runners in scoring position it's just an absolutely Buck Wild game which uh it just was very fitting this just felt like such a familiar Series this this felt like the Oakland A's team that I have known and disliked for my entire Rangers fandom no matter who's on this roster which usually there is always such a hodge podge of guys who most people don't know anything about but last year was the aberration for the A's of them being absolutely terrible I went into the year thinking okay this Oakland A's team they they look terrible on paper but they we've just never seen them bottom out like that in years and so you always think they're going to be Scrappy they're always going to be annoying to play they're always going to be just a thorn in the side and that's exactly what the series was even though the Rangers scored double digigit runs in two of the four games in this series they stole game one of the series with that three-run bomb by Cory Seager and then this one they just kept on scoring and hanging on for dear life cuz the bullpen which has been very good just made it a lot closer than then we thought it needed to be come we talk a little bit about this Bullpen about the injuries the Rangers have suffered and a reunion with Robbie Grossman but why right after this word from our sponsors this episode is brought to you by door Dash it's never too late to show Mom your love this Mother's Day with door Dash surprise Mom with flowers gadgets and self-care Essentials all in one place delivered right to her door you may know door dash for all their food deliveries but they delivered all 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came Josh spores for the sixth inning and he just did not look right from the jump walking one batter getting to a 3-1 count actually just throwing one strike in his first seven pitches and then the trainers came out and looked at him actually believe was his first eight pitches it was a 31 count that he left the game with because he was hurt because the Rangers just can't have anything nice they can't have one day it feels like without some new injury popping up the Rangers started the day with news that Dane Dunning was headed to the iil with a shoulder injury which you always you hear shoulder and you get absolutely terrified but uh thankfully it wasn't that bad he is on the I out with a right rotator cuff strain which is the same as Josh spores' injury so he's expected to miss just 15 days we'll talk more about that later on but spores comes out of this game in comes David Robertson and Strikes Out five in his two innings of work does work a walk but gets out of that inning scoreless comes in the next inning and should have had an Immaculate inning he should have if not for one truly terrible call but he he got a 10-pitch three strikeout inning with Robbie grman playing the field because Robby grman is back on the Rangers I did want to give a quick shout out to Robinson for that amazing outing just looked absolutely incredible in a one-run game going two innings and it it looked like the Rangers might need two innings from Robertson and two innings from Yates because they couldn't get an out from Josh bores L clerk came in and a lower leverage situation because it wasn't quite a what would have been considered a save situation if he finished that game off because the Rangers got some insurance runs wasn't a one-run game thankfully at that point dozle L run makes it into what would have been a save situation then the Rangers drop on a couple more runs in the top of the ninth even though Yates was already warming the rers said okay we're going to throw ow and white out there because he is on the major league roster we thought maybe to take Dane dunning's spot in the rotation that appears to not be the case but Owen white comes in allows three singles on not terrible pitches for the first couple of them the third one wasn't as great as the first two but the Rangers say nope I've seen this movie before even with a five-run lead base is loaded no outs we are not taking any chances in comes Kirby Yates it has become a safe situation Yates giv up a walk a b all three of the inherited Runner score including the first runner that he is the first run that he is allowed as a Texas Ranger his ra is no longer perfect but his save streak is still perfect seven saves for him on the year a056 ER now for Kirby H Rangers get out with go into the ninth inning with a five run lead come out with a one-run win because Kirby Yates even when he's not perfect still was enough to get this win but the Rangers had a new old friend on their team in this one it took him one day to get into the field and to get a plate appearance Robbie grman is back on the Texas Rangers and it is making me strongly rethink my pledge to never badmouth Robbie grman World Series champion Robbie Gman excuse me um it was going to be much easier if he was on the white socks to to not throw Strays at Robbie but he's back cuz the Rangers made a trade with the Chicago White Socks to give up an actual Prospect for a guy who all 30 teams this offseason saw what he did and said nope I'm good I don't really need that the white sock signed him on opening day to a minor league deal mind you a minor league deal to the team pretty comfortably the worst in Major League baseball so far this season and the Rangers gave up Anthony ho Anthony hoopy Tu on Nat TOA or Bubba as he's called who has been quite frankly exceptional in doublea this year a guy who the Rangers drafted back in the 30th round of the 2019 draft a round that does not exist any longer and this year in Frisco the 23-year-old relief Prospect has had a zero ER in 10 games 12 in the third Innings just four strikeouts 16 just four walks to 16 strikeouts 11.7 K is per nine 2.9 walks per nine just 5.1 hits per nine he has been very darn good and I'm surprised that he wasn't already called up to Triple A I thought that he might end up breaking into the big leagues this year at some point but the Rangers make this trade for one reason and one reason only well I guess probably a couple maybe partly because he is um as one of my group chats deemed Robbie Gman is Bruce Boi's emotional support veteran um because Bruce Boi likes to play Robbie Gman because he gets on base and he hits Lefty as well he does that is something the Rangers have not done they do have a very Lefty heavy lineup with a few guys that can't really hit lefties all that well Cory Seager has not hit lefties well this year that's not a trend I expect will continue low has been good against lefties but Evan Carter has been kind of a mess against lefties did have two really good at bats against lefties in this series though got a hit and got a 100 mph line drive right to the pitcher that um you know had it not been right to the pitcher would have probably gone through the infield and been a single and uh the Rangers just have not done well against their lefties and and part of that is because their Lefty Mashers are hurt just is most of this team Josh Young was one of the best hitters against lefties in the League last year and he's out till June Justin fosu is always hit lefties as well and he might be playing this Robbie Gman position of you know just dhing against lefties but he is also on the 60-day I as is Wyatt Langford who the Rangers also thought would match lefties this year against lefties Robbie grman has been very good hitting 333 at on base of four in the 430s slugging in the 440s still doesn't have a homer this year that was in 23 play appearances and last year against lefties Robbie grman was once again very good against lefties he was playing that role for the Rangers a 953 Ops and 137 plate appearances against lefties a 345 slash line hitting over 300 Omas over 400 slugging over 500 he was legitimately very good knows how to work a walk and he knows how to work a deep count but Robbie Gman should not be playing the field at any point he should be here just to hit against lefties but the fact the Rangers gave up something to get Robbie Grossman a guy who didn't make the major league roster of the worst team in major league baseball out of camp it says a couple of things about the Rangers it says one the fact that this guy was still there opening day means either you should have signed him before this and you're kind of admitting making a mistake or and I'm more inclined to lean this way to give the Rangers the benefit of the doubt it it more speaks to just the sheer amount of injuries that this team has sustained giving up a real Prospect for Robbie Gman when I highly doubt that anybody else would I know it's a relief Prospect I know he's a 23y old relief Prospect in dable but he's a guy who could have a higher War for the season than Robbie Grossman does and I don't know if he's even going to make the major leagues this year and I I think even if he doesn't he still might have a higher War than Robbie grman and it took literally one day for Robbie Grossman to play the field which he was absolutely horrendous in the field last year and it is not a thing that I want to see at all this year and we might just see Robbie grman for the three weeks or two and a half to three and a half weeks that that white langford's on the I once once the clock once the calendar turns to June and hopefully Josh Young returns hopefully maybe even Justin fosu returns at some point which side note I think I would trust Justin fosu in left field uh defensively a little bit more than Robbie Crosman at this point um but that's kind of what it says about this Rangers team and the fact that they gave up a real Prospect is just incredibly frustrating and mind numbing and also just kind of a sign of where this team is but it also gives me a little bit concern about the Rangers concern about Evan Carter Hing lefties we're talking about that in the Rangers continued rash of injuries right after this word from our sponsors this episode is brought to you by prize picks get in the playoff action and win up to 100 times your money on prize picks as you and the world's best players take on the game to a new level in basketball's postseason price pick has something for every sports fan from baseball to basketball to League of Le Legends you in everything in between you can pick Luca donich you can also pick Jason Robertson heck Cory Seager as well in your same entry price pick is the best way to get in on the action on Sports in more than 30 Country States across the country including California Texas and Georgia testing your skills on prize picks this baseball season is the 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in his big league career he has but you got to think about this kid in the long term over the Long Haul because the Rangers definitely can't afford to get shortsighted on the career of Evan Carter because that's how you turn a guy who was a legitimate massive spark for this team in route to the first ever world series title came up just days after his 21st birthday and has hopefully a long Major League career ahead of him you got to think long term and to get better the main hole in Evan Carter's game right now is he is not hitting lefties very well did have a hit in the series and again like I said 100 m hour line drive but if he's not getting reps against lefties if he's sitting in games against lefties like Alex Wood who's not necessarily the toughest Lefty in the world but even if he was Evan Carter needs to see these lefties because so far he just hasn't in his big league career he has got 40 plate appearances against lefties in 2021 his first pro season he got 51 plate appearances against lefties in 2022 between ha and dable very briefly dable he had 113 plate appearances against lefties that's the most plate appearances he had in a single year against lefties in 2023 he had 106 plate appearances against lefties in total he's got 146 plate appearances above above uh against lefties above high above high a so big leagues and double A and AAA combined as a professional baseball player which Evan Carter has been since his age 18 season in 2021 this is year number four of him being a pro he's got 299 plate appearances against lefties he has not seen very many lefties has not even very many good ones and he needs to a lot of them so he doesn't end up becoming a platoon player because if Evan Carter becomes a platoon player that goes from perennial Allstar to decent starter marginal starter I know most pitchers are right-handed but in order to reach his ceiling or anywhere close to his ceiling he's got to be at least okay against lefties he's been great against righties absolutely great in his big league career 64 played appearances a 36 5 uh actually this was um what year was this this was 2023 he was amazing against righties a 1,238 Ops um in 21 games of the big leagues against righties and a 091 Ops against lefties in the big leagues that year against lefties in in his big league career he is now hitting 081 a 231 Ops so that is going up but a 984 Ops against righties he has not had a year where he was particularly great against lefties outside of 2021 he only got 51 pled appearances that year though had a 1,033 Ops with a couple of homers actually his only home runs of that year it was a 32 game year for him because of the back injuries but then he had a 749 Ops the next year against lefties and in 2023 as a whole where we had 106 play appear es from Able a to AAA to the big leagues yet had a 602 Ops against lefties in those 106 plate appearances so Evan Carter needs these plate appearances against lefties otherwise he is in danger of his career being definitely not anywhere near as good as the Rangers are hoping and the Rangers need him to be everything they hoped him be or at least some approximation of it at least an everyday player they just cannot afford for Evan Carter to become a platoon player because they want to get at bats for Robbie Gman against lefties that's just something that absolutely cannot happen and what also cannot happen is the Rangers getting more injuries it has just been an absolute barrage of injuries with Dane Dunning landing on the iil and Josh spores leaving the game injured he left the game with a with shoulder tightness according to Bruce Boi he'll be reevaluated in Colorado we'll see if that merits an iil trip but right now the reindeers rotation is John Gray Andrew heene maybe Jose Ura and Michael Lorenzen that's four guys because Jack ligher was sent back down because he was the 27th man for the double header Owen whites in the big league pen through one inning that was uh not great as we discussed in the second game of this double header but here's what the Rangers iil rotation looks like right now it's a pretty fearsome rotation you got Jacob deg Gro leading the Way nathany evaldi Ma sherzer Cody Bradford Tyler Mali and Dane Dunning a six-man rotation with a lineup of Josh Young who's on the 60-day I Wyatt Langford and Justin fosu as the three biggies in the lineup on the iil actually the only three guys in the lineup on the I and then a bullpen of Carson Coleman Brock Burke and Austin puit all on the iil with everyone but puit in the bullpen iio on the 60-day injured list so who are the Rangers going add to their rotation the obvious answer seems to be probably Jack lighter for a little bit the other options include Johnny quo who hasn't pitched in an organized game just yet he has been pitching in the Arizona complex League building up his arm stamina to throw a 100 pitches to be a potential option he was signed to a minor league deal so he is still building his way back up we might honestly see a Johnny quo start um at some point he's still probably 3 weeks away from getting fully built up then your other options are Jack ligher who seems like the likely pick um and then you also if Jack lighter has to go to Colorado that would just be cruel a guy who gives up a lot of home runs granted it's not a difficult lineup necessarily that the Colorado Rockies are Trot trotting out there but it is still Coors and um Jack ligher is prone to the Home Run ball and that is the most home run prone Park in the major leagues then if you want to go off the 40 man roster you have Adrien Samson who has been you not great for tripa Roundrock this year and then you could go with Shawn Anderson who is another option the Rangers could have Anderson is a 29y old who has been in the big leagues before he has thrown three games for Round Rock this year a 212 erra in 17 Innings so averaging nearly six Innings per start four walks per night or four walks total in those 17 Innings 18 strikeouts might be up for a spot start I mean who knows at this point because the Rangers just have so many freaking injuries but when are these guys coming back well nathany evaldi is supposed to come back May 18th that's seven games away in two off days so um probably at least a trip and a half through the rotation Dane Dunning is supposed to come back May 23rd um 11 that's 11 games and three off days so about two to two and a half to three trips through the rotation Max shers are the best case scenario that he pitches on Saturday and then that would put him back in on May 21st that's nine games two off days Bradford supposed to come back May 26 that's 13 games and and three off days that's three full trips through the rotation and so you're going to have to go with some of these guys you're going to have to go with a couple of starts of Jack lighter he may be up as your only option I mean it's just such an insane stack of guys that are on the iio he you look at the 40-man roster you got Mark church and Jose corniel who are two of the few pitchers in the minor leagues on the 40-man roster that aren't uh that two of the pitchers that aren't on the iil or the big league roster and they are also hurt so the only pitchers that are on the Rangers 40 man roster um the only players who are on the Rangers 40 man roster and in the miners and not hurt at this point you got Dustin Harris Jonathan Oris who just got optioned Sam Huff Grant Anderson and Antoine Kelly who finally got off the iil and has looked pretty darn good we probably see him at some point soon making his major league debut but I mean you look at the rotation options and the Rangers have I've listed 15 guys that the Rangers have that will be considered for some kind of starting option you have deg Grom you have Aldi sherzer gray Bradford Heeney Mali Dunning lorensen Aria lighter quo Owen white Anderson Samson that's 15 guys and the Rangers might still have to look past that you can just never have enough starting pitching you heck you can never have enough pitching at at at all I'm hoping that by June 1st just survive the month of May survive the first two months we didn't know how true that was going to be survive until the injured guys come back because we didn't know there were going to be so many more injured guys than the big three that started the year on the iio but hopefully a June rotation if these guys who were supposed to come back at that rate actually do come back you have a June 1st rotation of nathany yaldi Max Sher John Gray Cody Bradford and then some combination of Heeney or Dunning in that five spot and then you can put Michael Lorenzen in the pen who hasn't been the most impressive to start this year but has again done a job for the Rangers given them length in all of his starts with the Rangers most desperately need because if they keep digging this deep in the rotation and having to tax the bullpen this hard and keep suffering these injuries to the bullpen it is going to put them in a rough spot but hey the Rangers still have won four Street series they took three out of four in oakin against a very Scrappy and annoying oakin team hopefully they can win their fifth straight series on the road in Colorado I'll be back with Paul of locked on Rockies to preview that series tomorrow that's going to do it for today's show thank you'all so much for listening and subscribing until next time don't forget to enjoy World Series champion Texas Rangers baseball