ARLINGTON — The clock has run out on Josh Sborz.
Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy confirmed Sunday morning that Sborz, a right-handed relief pitcher, is shut down and will not pitch this season after multiple start-and-stop attempts to recover from offseason shoulder surgery.
Sborz, 31, underwent a right shoulder debridement operation in November after an injury-plagued 2023 season and was expected to be out until midseason this year. He pitched in a dozen minor league rehab games but was unable to throw his fastball as hard as he did two years ago.
The Rangers determined that there isn’t a large enough window to fully rehab Sborz with just 18 regular season games left to play.
Rangers
“We’re out of time,” Bochy said. “It’s time to get him ready for 2026.”
His fastball averaged 96.9 mph in 2023 when he helped anchor the team’s bullpen during its World Series run and still sat 95.1 mph last season. It ran just 90-92 mph in his last appearance for Triple-A Round Rock and would only occasionally jump faster than that in prior outings.
Sborz pitched in seven July games before the team paused his rehab in early August with the hope that a “de-load” could help his velocity return. He pitched five times between Aug. 17-30 before he was shelved for the season.
The Rangers believe that a restful offseason will help prepare Sborz, who had a 3.86 ERA in 17 games last year, for spring training.
“He was pushing it hard,” Bochy said. “He was trying to get ready. You saw it. We just had to make the call. There’s just not enough time to get him ready.”
Rangers playoff tracker: How close is Texas to a spot in the postseason?Jacob deGrom will fall on the sword, but he can’t score runs for Rangers’ woeful offense
Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Click or tap here to sign up for our Rangers newsletter.