CLEVELAND – Look at it this way: The Rangers accomplished at least one goal this season, knocking the Houston Astros completely out of the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
It’s the little things, sometimes that matter.
Not that anybody was celebrating. Houston’s elimination was merely a by-product of the Rangers’ 3-2 walkoff loss Saturday to Cleveland – on a hit batsmen, no less. When Robert Garcia hit C.J. Kayfus with a 0-1 fastball after issuing a bases-loading walk to Gabriel Arias, it forced home the winning run, clinching the Guardians a postseason berth and eliminating Houston. According to research from Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first playoff berth-clinching walkoff hit batsman in the Live Ball Era, which dates to 1920. Nobody was celebrating that history either.
“They played hard, man,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said sullenly after the game. “Man, they did. It was tough to come away with this loss. We had a rather well-pitched game by everybody. They played their hearts out and that’s all you can ask. That’s my takeaway.”
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Well, that’s one. There was at least one other: Jacob Latz needs to be considered (there really should be a stronger word than “considered,” but we realize nothing is ever absolute) for a rotation spot in 2026. Given one last start to a season in which he shuttled between the bullpen and the rotation seamlessly. On Saturday, he allowed a two-out, two-run first-inning homer to Jonathan Rodríguez, then kept the Guardians quiet into the sixth. That included working around a leadoff triple in the fifth on a ball that left fielder Cody Freeman dove for, but came up short. Latz responded by striking out the next three hitters.
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In eight starts, Latz pitched at least five innings five times. He compiled a 2.72 ERA over 39 ⅔ innings as a starter. He did not allow more than two runs in any of his eight starts. That was all on top of a regular bullpen workload. He made four straight starts from Aug. 27 through Sept. 14, the longest stretch in which he was “in” the rotation. He’s pitched only 1 ⅓ innings since Sept. 14.
In most previous seasons, such a performance would all but guarantee a rotation spot heading into the next season. On Saturday, though, the best manager Bruce Bochy could do was to label him an “option.”
“He should feel good about his year,” Bochy said. “This was a big game. The place was packed and it was loud. He handled it well and did a terrific job to give us a chance.”
But, the followup was: Has he put himself in position to be in the rotation?
“Well, I mean sure he is; he’s certainly an option,” Bochy said. “Those are things we will talk about.”
Make no mistake, Latz wants the opportunity. And while there is no reason to guarantee anything about 2026 after Game 161 of 2025, it’s hard to see how he wouldn’t get every opportunity next spring. The Rangers have only three starters under control and projected to be healthy at the start of next season: Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Jack Leiter.
Kumar Rocker didn’t do anything to earn the spot this year. Cody Bradford will be out until the middle of next season. Jose Corniell has gotten a callup, but not a look. And if you think the Rangers are going to spend a lot of time and money on the rotation this winter, you haven’t been watching this team try to hit or witnessed them blow 28 saves. Whatever resources they have need to be earmarked for offense and potentially a closer.
For his part, Latz made it clear. He would like to start next year.
“Of course, I’ll push for it,” Latz said. “Absolutely. Every year we all grow as players, and I think for me specifically, it’s been a growth in a lot of different areas. Health and durability has been probably at the top of my list for a lot of years and this year, being able to kind of switch back and forth, it showed how well I was able to recover. I feel like I proved that to myself that I can do this for the duration of a year.”
The durability is a real concern. Latz threw 96 innings across three levels in 2021, but hasn’t been close to that since. With his major and minor league innings this season, he finished the year with exactly 100 innings in 2025. The next question is how much will pitch totals wear on him. Latz has twice thrown 88 pitches this season, but never crossed 90. At 90 or better, he becomes a more viable six-inning option.
That will be discussed during the winter. On Saturday, though, he was able to close the book on 2025 in a positive way.
“Every start when you’re not 100% a starter is important,” Latz said. “But leaving this season on a good note was at the forefront of my mind, and putting ourselves in a position to win and seeing how deep I could go in the game. I liked the way I competed tonight. It was a good place to leave this season.”
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