Rowdy Tellez, the former Milwaukee Brewers fan-favorite slugger who once pitched the final outs to clinch a playoff spot, will perhaps bear witness to another Brewers clinch this week, but from a different angle entirely.
Tellez has been with the Texas Rangers since mid-July, signing as a free agent after the Seattle Mariners cut ties in June. Tellez played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023 and most of 2024 before latching on with the Seattle Mariners before the 2025 season.
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Tellez has a .724 OPS in 35 games with the Rangers this year, an uptick from his .682 mark with the Mariners. His 109 OPS-plus means he’s above the league average for the first time since his 2022 season with the Brewers, when he scorched a career-best 35 homers.
Texas Rangers first baseman Rowdy Tellez (44) celebrates with the team as Rangers pinch hitter Jake Burger (not pictured) hits a single and drives in the game-winning run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the 10th inning at Globe Life Field on Aug. 11, 2025.
Tellez has four homers in his limited time with the Rangers. However, since his last homer Aug. 24, Tellez has gone 4-for-26, all singles, for a .154 batting average. He hasn’t drawn a walk in that stretch.
Still just 30 years old, he usually plays first base, though he’s only seen the field sparingly in September, with appearances in four games and only two starts. Jake Burger has often served at first base in other games.
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Tellez got to pitch in a game Aug. 16 against the Toronto Blue Jays, with the Rangers down big in what became a 14-2 loss. He allowed three earned runs (one homer) and hit a batter — former Blue Jays teammate George Springer.
Tellez made three pitching appearances in 2024 (allowing two earned runs on five hits in 2â…” innings) with Pittsburgh, but nothing tops his 2023 pitching debut against the Miami Marlins. With the Brewers ahead, 16-1, on Sept. 22 of that season, Tellez worked one inning, allowing a hit with a strikeout and recording the final outs that clinched the Brewers a 2023 playoff berth.
Milwaukee heads into the series against Texas with a magic number of three to lock up the National League’s first postseason berth.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How has Rowdy Tellez fared with the Rangers? Brewers see him this week