Rangers place Josh Sborz on 10-day IL with elbow issue, select Matt Moore

The Rangers announced that right-hander Josh Sborz has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to right elbow soreness.  Taking Sborz’s place on the active roster is Matt Moore, as the veteran southpaw’s contract was selected from Triple-A.

Moore signed a minor league deal with Texas shortly after the lockout, looking to again try to get his big league career back on track.  After injuries and poor performances during the 2017-19 seasons, Moore pitched well over 78 innings with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in 2020, but his return from Japan didn’t lead to better results in MLB.  Moore posted a 6.29 ERA over 73 innings with the Phillies last season, allowing 15 home runs while starting 13 of 24 games.

This will be Moore’s second official stint on the Rangers’ active roster, as he pitched 102 innings of 6.79 ERA ball for Texas in 2018.  The expectation is that Moore will be used out of the bullpen in a long relief role, or perhaps as a bulk pitcher behind an opener depending on how the Rangers navigate some injuries in their rotation.  Both Jon Gray and Spencer Howard are on the injured list with blisters, and while at least Gray may be back after just the minimum 10 days, the Rangers might be in need of some short-term starting help until their rotation is back to fuller strength.

Sborz is off to a shaky start, with an 11.25 ERA after his first four innings of work in 2022.  A balky elbow could be responsible for these struggles, and Sborz will now get a chance to heal up and essentially reset his season.  Sborz’s first season with the Rangers was a success, as he posted a 3.97 ERA over 59 innings out of the 2021 Texas bullpen, albeit with a troublesome 12.5% walk rate.