Why Rangers Were Right to IL Cal Quantrill and What Happens Next

Is there a circumstance under which the Texas Rangers might have given pitcher Cal Quantrill a few days to respond to treatment for injury before putting him on the injured list?

Sure. But given when the injury happened and the fight the Rangers (78-78) are putting up to win the American League West, moving him to the injured list on Sunday with a right lat strain was the right call.

By moving him to the IL on Sunday, the Rangers acknowledged that it was unlikely that the lat would respond to treatment that quickly. It was also a reminder that the Rangers knew they needed the spot on the roster. They called up Winston Santos from Triple-A for bullpen coverage.

Waiting served no purpose for the home stretch. Quantrill had one more start he was unlikely to make. But it doesn’t mean he can help the Rangers in the playoffs — should they make it.

Cal Quantrill’s Timeline

Texas Rangers pitcher Cal Quantrill throws a baseball to a hitter during a game. — Texas Rangers pitcher Cal Quantrill. Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Rangers moved Quantrill to the 15-day IL. He’ll miss the final week of the regular season, and he’ll miss the AL wild card playoffs, should the Rangers win the AL West or claim the final wild card berth. The two wild card series will be played from Sept. 29-Oct. 1.

If the Rangers advance to the AL division series, then there’s a chance he could return if he’s ready. The division series will start on Oct. 3. The series will have an off day on Oct. 4 and resume on Oct. 5. Quantrill should be eligible to return for Game 2. That assumes he’s healthy and ready to pitch.

That would be the ideal scenario for Texas. Missing Quantrill down the stretch will hurt, though. He’s been the rotation’s best pitcher since after the All-Star break and had an exceptional August in place of Jack Leiter in the rotation. The media that covers the team named him the August player of the month after he went 2-2 with a 1.45 ERA in six starts. He struck out 29 and walked four while batters hit .193 against him.

He continued that into September. His first three starts were all wins, and he went at least six innings in each of the three games. In his start against Arizona on Sept. 13, he was experiencing back tightness but was able to pitch through it. But the lat tightness was another story. He threw just 12 pitches on Saturday before he was pulled.

He’s turned into the best free-agent signing of the offseason for the Rangers as he went 9-5 with a 2.86 ERA in the regular season. Now, Texas will have to wait to see if he can return, provided they reach the postseason and remain alive.

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