The Texas Rangers have found a closer, former starter Jacob Latz, but they recognized they can’t continue to use him for two-inning saves.
ARLINGTON — Jacob Latz wants to pitch as often as the Texas Rangers will let him. More actually, but his request to pitch a third straight day Tuesday in St. Louis was politely declined.
The left-hander has fallen in love with his new job, closer, only four months after heading to spring training to prepare to win the No. 5 spot in the starting rotation. In the two months since missing out on that job, he has morphed into the savior of the Rangers’ bullpen.
When others slipped, Latz moved up in the leverage pecking order. He has reached the top, and the Rangers have used him for two-inning saves three times this season. The latest was Friday to finish off a 3-2 victory over Cleveland.
Things got a little hairy after an easy eighth inning against the meat of the Guardians’ lineup. The tying run reached second base with two outs in the ninth before Latz reached back for 96 mph to strike out Brayan Rocchio for his ninth save of the season.
Rangers win, Rangers win, but they made their path to a potential victory Saturday a bit bumpier. Latz threw 35 pitches, 27 in the ninth, and even though he likely told his coaches that he could go Saturday, it seemed unlikely.
Here’s why: Manager Skip Schumaker said he can’t keep running Latz out for six-out saves over the final four months of the season, no matter how tempting it is to use a unique bullpen piece.
“We can’t do this every single time,” Schumaker said. “That is not helpful for him. I really care about Latzy, and he has been incredible so far this year, and we do have to protect him. I felt good about it today. Obviously, we won’t continue to do that the whole season. It’s impossible to do that the whole season.”
The plan Friday, Schumaker said, was to use Latz in the eighth inning for a particular pocket of hitters in a one-run game. Presumably, the pocket included the Guardians’ first four batters, and Latz was summoned to face Nos. 2, 3 and 4.
He retired them on eight pitches, and the Rangers felt like he had been efficient enough to go out for the ninth rather than turning to former Cleveland reliever Jakob Junis.
“I felt pretty good going into the second inning,” Schumaker said. “I didn’t envision him ending with 35 pitches, but that’s kind of what the thought process was. We talked about it before the game.”
Latz wants the ball in meaningful situations. That was his concern and first question when told at the end of spring training that the Rangers would go with Kumar Rocker as the fifth starter. Latz went to the bullpen, but his first 2026 appearance was as an emergency starter in the season’s second game after Jacob deGrom woke up in Philadelphia with a stiff neck.
He tossed four innings that day, so two is light work. But it will usually prevent him from pitching on back-to-back days.
Ultimately, he wants to be on the mound with a victory on the line.
“I finished the game with a win, something I’m always gonna strive for, but yeah, the two innings are different,” Latz said. “I’ve had a lot of experience going multiples, so I’m just trying to peel back from that. But, honestly, the added adrenaline being late in the games, it gives you a lot more than you realize you have.”
But Latz also wants to be available more.
“Anytime there’s a save opportunity, I want it,” he said. “As long as the communication’s there from both sides, because it has been from them and me, then we’ll be able to navigate when to do two and when to not.”
Latz is part of a bullpen that has changed dramatically since Opening Day due to injuries, ineffectiveness or both. Thirty-year-old rookie Payton Grey has worked his way into leverage innings, swingman Tyler Alexander has two saves, one-time starter Cal Quantrill is working late in games, and Junis has pitched his way from the middle innings to the eighth or ninth innings.
“There are multiple guys who have stepped up,” Schumaker said. “I don’t know where we would be without a lot of these guys stepping up in different roles.”
Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com
