Rangers call up much-needed bullpen reinforcements as Luis Curvelo, Chris Martin head to IL

Texas Rangers pitcher Gavin Collyer delivers during the fifth inning of a spring training game against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, in Tempe, Ariz. (Smiley N. Pool/Staff Photographer)

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Likely to be in scramble mode all season to protect a thin bullpen, the Rangers on Wednesday brought in reinforcements in bulk to cover for a spate of injuries that may or may not be serious.

The club purchased the contracts of right Gavin Collyer and veteran spot starter/long reliever Cal Quantrill to replace Chris Martin, who a night earlier faced one batter and complained of arm issues, and Luis Curvelo, who walked off the mound after two pitches with what was later described as tightness in his biceps.

Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker watches pitcher Cal Quantrill throw in the bullpen during a spring training workout at the team's training facility on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, in Surprise, Ariz. (Smiley N. Pool/Staff Photographer)

Both Martin and Curvelo were placed on the 15-day IL because the Rangers simply don’t have enough arms to simply go short-handed for a week or 10 days on the chance a reliever might be ready before the minimum 15-day IL stint would expire. The team said Curvelo is dealing with a right biceps strain and Martin is out with a right shoulder impingement.

It also triggered other moves in the system since neither Collyer nor Quantrill were on the 40-man roster.

The club will move lefty Cody Bradford to the 60-day IL, creating a spot on the 40-man roster. Bradford, who had originally been projected to return from internal brace surgery in early May, has been indefinitely pushed back due to some “general soreness” after his first rehab start. It means he won’t be eligible to return before May 24.

Marc Church, who has a 7.71 ERA and four walks in 4⅓ innings, was designated for assignment.

Collyer, who turns 25 in May, has the best higher-level arm in the system and impressed the Rangers early this spring. Over the four outings prior to Wednesday, he had allowed one hit, struck out six and walked none. The biggest issue is consistency with strike throwing. For his minor league career, he’s averaged 5.3 walks per nine innings, but when he’s on, he flirts with triple-digits on his fastball, the kind of velocity the Rangers don’t have in their bullpen.

Texas Rangers pitcher Cal Quantrill throws live batting practice to infielder Joc Pederson during a spring training workout at the team's training facility on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, in Surprise, Ariz. (Smiley N. Pool/Staff Photographer)

Quantrill, 31, has primarily been a starter throughout a seven-year big league career. But the Rangers may need length in the bullpen and Quantrill, who was named the Triple-A Pacific Coast League’s Pitcher of the Week last week, is durable and has ample major league experience.

The Rangers were pushed into this tight spot because the relief arms on the 40-man roster simply have not performed early in the season. Michel Otañez has an 8.44 ERA at Round Rock with five walks in 5⅓ innings. And Emiliano Teodo has five walks in five innings to go with a 5.40 ERA. The Rangers need better command from their relief options, even if they aren’t going to be high-leverage options.

The Rangers also elected to not purchase the contract of right-hander Josh Sborz, which could signal the end of the 2023 World Series hero’s time with the club.

Sborz on Wednesday exercised the assignment clause in his minor league contract, which notifies all 29 other major league teams of his availability on a major league deal. If a team is willing to add him to their major league roster, the Rangers would have 48 hours to counter that by adding him to their own roster.

They, however, would prefer to keep him on his current minor league deal as he continues to incrementally push up his velocity and his ability to recover. His fastball is sitting between 94-95 mph right now, and the Rangers would probably like to see it go up one more tick. He also hadn’t thrown on back-to-back days this season, though he was scheduled to check that box on Wednesday following a scoreless inning Tuesday.