Reality hits hard in the majors — and for one young Ranger, it hit before he even stepped on the mound.
By [Your Name] | May 19, 2025
Texas Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter was all set to make his scheduled start on Saturday night against the Houston Astros — until he wasn’t. In a surprising pregame change, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy opted to go with veteran reliever José Leclerc as the opener, leaving the 24-year-old right-hander on the bench.
And he stayed there the entire night.
While Bochy initially hinted that Leiter might enter later in the game, the opportunity never came. The decision wasn’t about matchups or pitch counts — it was a message. Simply put, the Rangers don’t fully trust Leiter right now to handle high-stakes innings against big-league lineups.
It’s not without reason. Leiter has struggled in his early chances, logging just 6 total innings across two shaky outings, walking nine batters and giving up eight earned runs. His potential is obvious, but the command hasn’t followed — and the Rangers are in a stretch of tight divisional games with little room for error.
The move wasn’t meant to shut the door on his future — only to wake him up. And in his place, Bochy gave the ball to young reliever Marc Church in a high-leverage situation, and Church delivered — retiring Yordan Álvarez, Kyle Tucker, and Alex Bregman in order during a critical sixth inning.
Leiter may now be on his way back to Triple-A Round Rock as the Rangers look to bring up a fresh arm ahead of Sunday’s series finale. Glenn Otto or Cole Winn could be in line for a promotion.
With Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, and Andrew Heaney holding down the rotation, the Rangers aren’t in desperation mode. But the message to their young prospect is loud and clear: talent alone isn’t enough — consistency matters.
Leiter will get another chance down the line. What matters now is how he responds to this moment.
