Rangers left-hander Jalen Beeks will undergo surgery to repair a flexor tendon strain, according to Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News. The news of Beeks’ season-ending procedure comes amidst two other announced moves involving the Texas bullpen, as right-hander Jakob Junis was placed (retroactive to July 1) on the 15-day injured list and Chris Martin was activated from the 15-day IL.
Beeks has been on the 15-day IL since June 10 due to lower back spasms, and McFarland writes that Beeks was about to be activated before the far more serious flexor injury was discovered. A more specific timeline should be known once the procedure takes place, but Beeks’ 2026 campaign is certainly over.
It took Beeks until March 13 to find a free agent contract this past offseason, but the southpaw landed a guaranteed $1.6MM from the Rangers and then made the Opening Day roster. In making 29 appearances for Texas, Beeks also landed $375K in extra bonus money, and pitching in just one more game would’ve gotten the left-hander another $125K.
Despite the abbreviated Spring Training, Beeks posted a solid 3.81 ERA and 7.1% walk rate over 26 innings out of the Texas bullpen, though his other Statcast metrics were well below league average. Beeks also had particular trouble keeping the ball in the park, with six homers allowed in his 26-inning sample size. While the home run issue was an unwelcome new wrinkle, Beeks’ numbers were pretty much in line with his career stats over his previous seven MLB seasons with five different teams (primarily the Rays).
Beeks turns 33 later this week, so arm surgery makes for a pretty lousy birthday gift for the veteran left-hander. With this major procedure now on his record, Beeks may be limited to just minor league contracts this winter, especially if his recovery process stretches into 2027.
Junis’ absence is another hit to the Rangers’ bullpen depth, as the righty is dealing with a hip impingement. As MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry writes, Junis received an injection in his hip, and the hope is that the 15-day absence plus the All-Star break will make Junis ready to be activated as soon as the second half begins.
Texas signed Junis to a one-year, $4MM free agent deal in January that proved to be another shrewd offseason investment. Junis only has an 18.9% strikeout rate and a 19.3% whiff rate, and a 3.72 SIERA is probably a better reflection of his performance than his 2.80 ERA.
That said, Junis’ 4.2% walk rate is in the 99th percentile of all pitchers, and he has done a tremendous job of limiting hard contact. Junis’ 2.80 ERA has come over 35 1/3 innings and 31 games, as Junis has logged a few multi-inning appearances on top of his lone start (the first 2 2/3 frames of a bullpen game on May 11 when scheduled starter Nathan Eovaldi was a late scratch).
Getting Junis back and healthy well in advance of August 3 would help Texas figure out their trade deadline plans, as the Rangers will likely be looking to add some strikeout punch to their bullpen. In theory, Martin can provide some missed bats if he can get back to his usual form, but the 40-year-old has only a 7.84 ERA over 10 1/3 innings amidst two IL stints due to shoulder impingements.
