Houston, Texas — The Texas Rangers announced prior to Tuesday night’s contest against the Astros in Houston that the club has recalled right-handed pitcher Spencer Howard from Triple-A Round Rock. To make room for Howard on the active roster, the team has optioned right-handed pitcher Alex Speas to Round Rock.
Howard will be in his second stint with Texas this season, as he was also on the roster from June 5-9, making his lone Major League appearance this year in relief on June 9 at Tampa Bay (0.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R-ER). He opened the season on the Injured List from Opening Day-June 4 with a right lat strain. Overall at Triple-A in 2023, Howard has a 1-1 record with a 5.40 ERA (11 ER/18.1 IP) over 9 games/2 starts, posting a 1.036 WHIP figure with 7 walks and 30 strikeouts. His last outing for the Express came on Thursday vs. Reno (L, 3.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R-ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, 2 HR, 42 pitches/32 strikes).
Speas has made 3 relief appearance for Texas since he was recalled from Round Rock (AAA) on Wednesday for his first Major League action. He has taken the loss in 2 of those 3 outings, allowing 3 runs in 2.0 innings. Speas has spent the bulk of the season with Frisco (AA) and Round Rock, combining to go 4-0 with 2 saves and a 1.00 ERA (4 ER/36.0 IP) over 28 relief appearances.
Following today’s transactions, the Rangers remain at the 40-man limit on the club’s Major League roster, along with three players (Jacob deGrom, Brett Martin, and Jake Odorizzi) on the 60-day Injured List.
