A late-season rotation crisis forces the Texas Rangers to rely on rookie Winston Santos.
It couldn't have possibly come at a worse time, but right-handed pitcher Cal Quantrill is officially heading to the Injured List.
The Texas Rangers announced he'd be on the 15-day IL after he was removed from the game on Saturday, Sept. 19.
In his place, they have recalled fellow righty Winston Santos from Triple-A Round Rock.
At the end of the day, this doesn't shut down Quantrill's season for good, but it will if the Rangers fail to make the playoffs.
There's a real possibility that takes place, especially now that they're without Quantrill's last scheduled start. While the Rangers took a slight lead in the American League West, they know it'll be down to them or the Chicago White Sox for the final Wild Card spot, should the Houston Astros end up reclaiming the division.
Rangers rotation takes a huge hit
Quantrill exited after just 1.1 innings pitched on Sept. 19 but the Rangers were still able to come out victorious, 6-2.
His exit came with quite a few question marks, and everyone was patiently awaiting his MRI results on Sept. 20.
While it's not the worst case scenario, this Rangers rotation is taking a huge hit. The 31-year-old has been incredible not only this month, but going back to Aug. 18.
Since that start, he's won five of his seven appearances. Obviously, he was stuck without a decision on Sept. 19 due to him exiting as soon as he did.
Prior to that though, he had gone at least six innings in his last six starts. Quantrill went seven innings in two of those, further proving how much of an asset he is to a team desperately clinging onto a playoff spot.
Jacob deGrom remains healthy, so that's a good sign, but it'll be interesting to see what they get out of Santos as the lights have never been brighter.
Santos has only made one big-league appearance
Santos, 24, has only pitched once in the big leagues. The Rangers are confident enough in his abilities to replace Quantrill, though this move doesn't necessarily come with him getting a spot on the playoff roster, if they make it that far.
Santos pitched the last two innings in a 9-4 loss back on July 1. He allowed a pair of hits, one of which was a home run, and gave up two earned runs while striking out one and walking a batter in his major league debut.
