It’s been a tough season for many Texas Rangers players, but perhaps none more so than Josh Sborz. The Rangers’ World Series hero has struggled with persistent arm issues, starting with a rotator cuff strain in April and again on May 9. He returned to the mound on July 5 but was sidelined once more with right shoulder fatigue on August 11. After briefly coming back for one appearance in Oakland on Tuesday, Sborz was placed back on the injured list before the second-to-last game of the season in Anaheim.
Left-hander Walt Pennington was called up to take Sborz’s place in the bullpen.
“I wanted to make sure I can pitch next year, that’s been my ultimate goal,” Sborz said after giving up a run on two hits and striking out one batter in just 1/3 of an inning against the Athletics, his first appearance since August 7. “If I can’t pitch, we need to figure out what’s wrong. If I can, I’ll try again next year. But I’ve wasted this entire season trying to figure out what’s wrong with my shoulder, and I’d really like to get it sorted out.”
Sborz speculated that poor posture could be contributing to his shoulder fatigue. However, his extended postseason workload in 2023 may also be a factor. He pitched 12 innings during the playoffs, including the final 2 1/3 innings in the Rangers’ championship-clinching win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, bringing his total to a career-high 64 1/3 innings last season.
“It was a long year, with a shorter offseason than I’m used to. I’ve never experienced that before,” he explained. “Figuring out how to manage your body with a whole month less of offseason is challenging. It’s tough, but I can sleep at night knowing I’ve done my best, worked my ass off, and that’s all you can do.”
Reflecting on the season, Sborz added, “I’ve given it everything I have despite the issues this year. It [expletive] sucks, but it is what it is, and I’ve got to learn from it.”
Sborz finishes the season with a 2-2 record, a 3.86 ERA, in 17 appearances covering just 16 1/3 innings.
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