Name a guy in the Rangers\u2019 Hall of Fame and it\u2019s pretty likely they had more than one spin through Arlington. Ruben Sierra and Kenny Rogers had three stints. Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez and Josh Hamilton each had two. And there are more. Spoiler alert: Few of the sequels were near as good as the original. <\/p>\n
Rangers<\/p>\n
By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n We mention this not to belittle the Rangers\u2019 reunion with World Series hero Jordan Montgomery<\/a> on a one-year deal with a base of $1.25 million and the ability to earn up to $3 million. On the contrary, it\u2019s a smart play with minimal risk. It\u2019s just that at the moment, though, Montgomery is a project. A rehab project. <\/p>\n The heartwarming ending is still in script development. He\u2019s almost 11 months removed from the second elbow ligament repair surgery of his career, not yet throwing off a mound and not really a factor in the Rangers\u2019 plans until around the trade deadline, which, coincidentally, is when the Rangers acquired him the first time. Worked out well once. Why not again?<\/p>\n For the moment, though, you should know this: Jordan Montgomery was happy Friday. Maybe for the first time on a baseball field since the last out of the 2023 World Series. And that is not an insignificant observation. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of reasons why I\u2019m back,\u201d said Montgomery, who bypassed at least one offer with more guaranteed money to return to Texas. \u201cObviously I love it here. Every arrow was pointing me to Texas. I just couldn\u2019t be more excited to be back.\u201d <\/p>\n Then he started listing those reasons. The relationship he developed with Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi, in particular. The presence of Kyle Higashioka, to whom he\u2019d thrown in 15 career MLB starts and countless more in the minors. Skip Schumaker, with whom he\u2019d been together during 2022 when both were with St. Louis. And, of course, the memories of that magical run in 2023. In case you forgot, he set the tone for the postseason with a Game 1 gem of a start against Tampa Bay<\/a> that included an inspiring diving catch of a bunt along the foul line. Then he punched the Rangers\u2019 ticket to the World Series, winning Game 7 of the ALCS in relief<\/a>.<\/p>\n His fondness for his time and relationships with the Rangers was palpable during this 10-minute session, which is also not insignificant at this point. In the midst of a long and often tedious rehab, mindset is so important. His can only be described as beaming.<\/p>\n Since the end of that Fall Classic, it had been an extended and bitter winter for Montgomery. He went unsigned until deep into spring training in 2024, holding out hope the Rangers would find money for a long-term extension. They did not. Arizona, the team the Rangers had just beaten in the World Series, instead got him for two years and $50 million<\/a>. And things went wrong from the start. He rushed to get ready, which is risky. His fastball didn\u2019t respond well. He got hit around. Went on the IL with what was diagnosed as a knee issue. Came back. Lost his spot in the rotation. Finished the year with a 6.23 ERA. Then Diamondbacks owner Tom Kendrick called the signing \u201ca horrible decision.\u201d <\/a><\/p>\n Pretty bad. It got worse. Last spring, he found out he\u2019d torn his elbow ligament for a second time. When Rangers medical director Dr. Keith Meister, who performs more elbow surgeries than anybody in the country, looked at imaging during a consultation, he theorized it was possible Montgomery had pitched with the injury for at least part of 2024. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not out here making excuses,\u201d Montgomery said, \u201cbut when Meister looked at [the condition of the elbow], well, he said it was, uh, pretty bad.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say I\u2019ve doubted myself as a pitcher, but when you are hurt, you just kind of do what you can to get by. Especially when you don\u2019t even know you are hurt. But I\u2019ve got a new arm, a level of comfortability, my feet under me and have people around me that know me. It really adds a lot of value.\u201d <\/p>\n On that point: Meister performed the surgery and still oversees the Rangers\u2019 rehab. More to that point, when Montgomery started the rehab process, the first person he texted? Eovaldi. <\/p>\n Eovaldi has also had two elbow procedures. He is more than willing to share experiences and even more willing to listen. It\u2019s part of what makes Eovaldi a special teammate. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been talking to him for a while,\u201d Montgomery said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been really close. He talked about how he felt on bad days. And we talked about it being a roller coaster sometimes when you are in the trenches with it.\u201d<\/p>\n The other thing Montgomery did during the early stages of his rehab was to get serious about his eating habits. The result has been a weight loss of close to 25 pounds. He was above 260, he said, while with the Rangers in 2023. He reported for his physical on Thursday at 240 and he\u2019s lost 10% of his body fat. So if he launches himself into the air to catch a bunt during the 2026 playoffs, it won\u2019t be such a marvel. The Rangers can only hope they get another chance to witness it. <\/p>\n He\u2019s taken the first steps. He\u2019s in a place where he experienced the heights of success and happiness and it all showed through on Friday. Perhaps that was no more evident than how he finished his 10-minute session with the media. The previous version we\u2019d seen of Montgomery had been quiet and reserved. But on Friday, when he was done talking, he pulled out his phone, called the assembled writers over and insisted upon showing photos of his one-month-old son, James, his first child. He once again lit up with the smile of a proud, new dad. <\/p>\n Just another story arc in the potential heartwarming Hallmark production: Ranger Reunion.<\/p>\n Eye on the ball: Check out photos from another day of Texas Rangers spring training<\/p>\n Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Texas](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/S77NOPOWSFFTDGAN75MY3EJBMQ.jpg\")
View Gallery<\/p>\n