Heim is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Royals.
Heim will sit Sunday after going 0-for-4 with one run, one RBI and four walks over the first two games of the series. Andrew Knizner will start behind home plate and bat eighth against Kansas City right-hander Alec Marsh.
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Rangers' Yerry Rodriguez: Optioned to Triple-A
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The Rangers optioned Rodriguez to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.
Rodriguez was recalled by the big club for the third time June 18, but he did not make an appearance out of the Rangers' bullpen. Over 12 major-league appearances this season, Rodriguez has a 6.88 ERA and 1.59 WHIP over 17 innings. His move to Triple-A is to make room for Max Scherzer (back/thumb), who was reinstated off the 60-day injured list ahead of his start Sunday against the Royals.
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Rangers' Max Scherzer: Reinstated from IL
Rotowire
The Rangers activated Scherzer (back/thumb) from the 60-day injured list ahead of his start in Sunday's series finale against the Royals.
Scherzer will make his season debut Sunday after having his start Saturday pushed back in favor of Jon Gray. Scherzer began the season on the injured list following offseason back surgery, and his rehab assignment was delayed due to separate thumb and forearm issues. In his last rehab start June 15, Scherzer allowed three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out eight over 4.2 innings. Sunday's start should provide clarity on whether the 39-year-old right-hander will work under any restrictions in his first big-league action since Game 3 of the 2023 World Series in October.
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Rangers' Nathaniel Lowe: Swipes rare bag
Rotowire
Lowe went 0-for-2 with two walks, a run scored and a stolen base in Saturday's 6-0 win over the Royals.
The first baseman remains stuck in a 32-game power drought -- he launched his last home run May 14 -- but Lowe found a way to contribute. The steal was his second of the season, and while he did pilfer a career-high eight bags in 2021, he's managed only five stolen bases in 373 games since then. Lowe is slashing .214/.294/.262 during his homerless streak with just five doubles, nine RBI and nine runs.
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Rangers' Jon Gray: Blanks KC for third win
Rotowire
Gray (3-3) picked up the win Saturday, allowing two hits over six scoreless innings in a 6-0 victory over the Royals. He struck out three.
Both hits were third-inning singles, but Gray shut down the rally and proceeded to retire the final 10 batters he faced before exiting. The right-hander tossed 72 pitches (51 strikes) en route to his sixth quality start of the season, but Saturday marked the first time he'd lasted at least six innings in a start since May 15. Gray will take a 3.03 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 68:19 K:BB through 71.1 innings into his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road next weekend in Baltimore.
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Rangers' Wyatt Langford: Showcasing power
Rotowire
Langford went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Saturday's 6-0 win over the Royals.
Langford provided insurance when he launched a grand slam in the eighth inning, giving the team a six-run lead heading into the final frame. Until this week, the rookie had been held to one inside-the-park home run, which was uncharacteristic for the prospect that carried 70-grade power. That all changed this week; Saturday's granny was the second outside-the-park home run this week for Langford, who is 7-for-15 with four extra-base hits and nine RBI over the last four contests. Since returning from a three-week stint on the injured list in May, Langford is slashing .299/.341/.481 with eight extra-base hits, 19 RBI and six steals over 21 games.
Smith started at third base and went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 6-0 win over Kansas City.
Smith made a second consecutive start in the field after serving as a designated hitter for a pair of games. He had been dealing with a hamstring injury that forced him to miss four games before returning as the DH. Now that he's back in the field, the question becomes how long he will be there. Third baseman Josh Jung (wrist) rejoined the team Friday and will take live batting practice Tuesday. If all goes well, Jung could be activated off the 60-day injured list afterward. The Rangers would like to keep Smith's bat in the lineup; he's batting .304/.393/.469 over a career-high 259 plate appearances. The lefty hitter could serve as the primary DH; he owns an .857 OPS against lefties and an .863 OPS against righties this season.
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Rangers' Josh Jung: Shutting down for weekend
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Texas manager Bruce Bochy said Saturday that Jung (wrist) will be shut down for the weekend before taking live batting practice Tuesday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
Bochy noted residual soreness in Jung's wrist since he rejoined the club Friday as the reason for letting him rest over the weekend. Jung could be activated after Tuesday's session if all goes well.
Duran is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Royals.
After starting 11 consecutive games, Duran will be out of the lineup for a second straight contest Saturday. For the month of June, he's slashing .230/.226/.328 with one home run and seven RBI over 61 at-bats. The lefty-hitting Travis Jankowski will serve as the designated hitter Saturday and bat eighth against the returning Michael Wacha.
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Rangers' Dane Dunning: Shifting to bullpen
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Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Saturday that Dunning will move to the bullpen with Max Scherzer (back) set to return Sunday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Across 12 starts this season, Dunning holds a 4-6 record with a 4.73 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 67:29 K:BB across 59 innings, though he's given up 11 runs over his last three starts and has failed to make it to the sixth inning since April 7 against the Astros. Dunning could prove to be more effective out the bullpen in long relief while starting on occasion depending on the Rangers' schedule.
Jung (wrist) told reporters Saturday that he believes he could return to the Rangers on Monday, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.
Jung noted that his wrist still feels stiff when swinging the bat, and that his return is still under discussion. His right wrist was fractured after being hit by a pitch April 1, and he underwent surgery one day later. He began his rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on June 16 and has gone 4-for-17 with one RBI over four outings.
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Rangers' Max Scherzer: Set for season debut Sunday
Rotowire
Scherzer (back/thumb) said Saturday that he'll return from the 60-day injured list to start in Sunday's series finale against the Royals, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
After completing his recovery from offseason back surgery in addition to moving past the thumb and forearm injuries that slowed down his rehab process, Scherzer was originally scheduled to make his 2024 debut Saturday. The Rangers ultimately elected to push Scherzer back another day, with manager Bruce Bochy opting to go with Jon Gray for the second game of the series. With Scherzer set to take the mound Sunday, Dane Dunning will be pushed back to start in Monday's series opener against the Brewers. After being acquired from the Mets ahead of the trade deadline last season, Scherzer went 4-2 over eight regular-season starts with the Rangers, posting a 3.20 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 53:15 K:BB in 45 innings.
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Rangers' Wyatt Langford: Drives in two in win
Rotowire
Langford went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Friday's 6-2 win over Kansas City.
Langford continues to deliver for the Rangers during the month of June. The rookie outfielder, who has 11 RBI over the last 11 games, is batting .302/.353/.476 in 17 games this month.
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Rangers' Marcus Semien: Snaps hitless run in big way
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Semien went 1-for-4 with a double and three RBI in Friday's 6-2 win over the Royals.
Semien provided the big hit of the game with a bases-clearing double in the sixth inning to give Texas a lead it would not relinquish. The double snapped a hitless run of 17 at-bats. Semien, the Rangers' leadoff hitter, leads the team with 43 RBI through 74 games.
Lowe went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Friday's win over Kansas City.
Lowe did most of his damage in the sixth inning when he hit a ground-rule double and came around to score the go-ahead run. He entered Friday's game in an 8-for-42 (.190) slump over 12 appearances since his last multi-hit performance June 5. He hit .343 through 18 games to begin his 2024 campaign but has since gone 25-for-118 (.212). For the season, Lowe is slashing .259/.352/.346 with 12 extra-base hits and 21 runs scored.
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Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi: Wins with quality start
Rotowire
Eovaldi (4-3) yielded two runs on four hits and a walk over six innings Friday, striking out six and earning a win over the Royals.
Eovaldi coughed up a solo shot to Kyle Isbel in the third inning and gave up one other run in the fifth. Since returning from the injured list, Eovaldi has produced a 4.01 ERA while going 2-1 through five starts, turning in two quality starts in his last three outings. He forced 15 whiffs Friday, his best total since April 20. The veteran righty owns a 3.14 ERA with a 70:25 K:BB through 66 innings this season. Eovaldi's next start is lined up to come in Baltimore.
