ARLINGTON — The Globe Life Field crowd gave Texas Rangers left-hander Jacob Latz the type of ovation worthy of a starter who just shoved five-plus scoreless innings against baseball’s best team when he stepped off the mound Monday night.
It begs a question that’s been asked in various contexts before.
Has Latz, a swingman to this point, pitched himself into a position where he should be given a more permanent role as a starter?
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“We’ll see where we’re at with the rotation,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said after Monday’s 5-0 win vs. the Milwaukee Brewers. “I think that’s fair to say with the job he’s done. We’ll just continue to keep moving here with this rotation and we’ll see where we’re at.”
More on where they’re at shortly. We’ll start with what Latz did. The 29-year-old fired 5 2/3 scoreless innings in Monday’s series opener against the Brewers and their league-best record. He faced the minimum through four innings, worked around a leadoff single from Brewers designated hitter Christian Yelich in the fifth and exited in the sixth after a six-pitch strikeout of second baseman Brice Turang.
Latz threw 84 pitches — the second-most he’s thrown in any game this season — and kept the National League’s leader in runs scored off the board while his offense finally broke through against Milwaukee’s own tough lefty starter.
Heck of a day for Jacob Latz against the best team in baseball:
– 5.2 IP
– 3 hits
– 5 Ks
– 1 BB
– 1 standing ovation
👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/WlAEbvFhhe
— Rangers Nation ⚾️ (@rangers__nation) September 9, 2025
“It was a great night and a good way to start off the series,” Latz said after his start pulled the Rangers to within a game and a half of the American League’s third Wild Card spot. “We keep gaining momentum little by little, inching closer, so it’s just a good way to start the series.”
Latz, a fifth-round pick in the 2017 MLB draft, is a starter by trade but has largely pitched out of the Texas bullpen since he joined the club in a regular capacity last season. He has a 2.91 ERA in 74 1/3 innings total season season but a 2.73 ERA in 29 2/3 innings as a starter. The Rangers tabbed Latz to fill in on a spot basis after right-hander Nathan Eovaldi’s season ended prematurely because of a rotator cuff strain.
He’s played his way into a larger-picture discussion. Latz may factor into the club’s long-term rotation plans next season with right-hander Merrill Kelly, right-hander Jon Gray and left-hander Patrick Corbin set to enter free agency this winter. There’s a case to be made that his promotion should be expedited, though, with 17 games left to play in the regular season.
The Rangers could activate right-hander Tyler Mahle, who’s been sidelined since June with shoulder fatigue, for this weekend’s series against the New York Mets. Bochy said Monday afternoon that the 30-year-old “could possibly” start one of the games in Queens, N.Y.
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob Latz throws against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning of a baseball game Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Julio Cortez / AP
Mahle posted a 2.34 ERA in 77 innings before his assignment to the injured list. His two minor league rehab starts at Triple-A Round Rock last week were mixed bags, but Mahle believes “for sure” that he can get major league hitters out, and Bochy thinks that he can throw upwards of 60 pitches in his next appearance.
Where does that leave Latz? If Mahle returns, and if he’s reinserted into the rotation, Latz could either piggyback the veteran right-hander or return to his flex role in the bullpen, where he pitched in both long-relief and medium-to-high-leverage positions.
The Rangers will need to make that call. Latz has, at the very least, compiled a body of work as a starter that will give them reason to consider his placement in the mix.
“Deep down I’ve always wanted to be that person,” Latz said. “It feels good to contribute to wins. To do it in that fashion, there’s a little added boost for me, personally. Yeah, just answering the call, whatever’s asked of me, that’s all you can do. Whatever direction they go is fine as long as we keep winning and keep pushing for the playoffs.”
Twitter: @McFarland_Shawn
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