FILE PHOTO: Apr 19, 2022; Seattle, Washington, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jon Gray (22) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the fourth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
ANAHEIM — This has been a miserable year for many Texas Rangers players, few more so than Josh Sborz.
The Rangers World Series hero has been beset with arm issues, first with a rotator cuff strain in April and again on May 9. He returned on July 5 but was back on the IL with right shoulder fatigue on Aug. 11. And after returning for one appearance on Tuesday in Oakland, the right-hander returned to the IL before Saturday’s penultimate game of the season in Anaheim.
Left-hander Walt Pennington was recalled to fill his spot in the bullpen.
“I wanted to make sure that for next year I’m able to pitch, that was kind of the end goal,” Sborz said after he allowed a run on two hits and struckout one in a 1/3 of an inning against the Athletics, his first appearance since Aug. 7. “If I can’t pitch, we need to fix i. And if I can pitch, I’m going to try and do it again next year, but I’ve wasted an entire year trying to figure out what’s wrong my shoulder and I’d like to figure it out.”
Sborz suggested that bad posture might have something to do with the right shoulder fatigue. But his extensive postseason run in 2023 could also have something to do with it. He threw 12 innings, including the final 2 1/3 in the Rangers’ title-clinching win against the Arizona Diamondbacks and a career-high 64 1/3 innings combined last season.
“It was kind of a long year last year, a short offseason. I’ve never experienced that before,” he said. “so not having a really good grasp of how to manage your body with a whole month less of an offseason is kind of challenging for somebody. It’s tough, but I can go to sleep at night knowing I do my best, I work my ass off, and that’s all you can do.
“I’ve given it all I have for the issues I’ve had this year,” Sborz added. “it [expletive] sucks, but it is what it is, and I’ve got to learn from it.”
Sborz finishes 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA in 17 appearances and just 16 1/3 innings.
