Jon Gray is set to make his 2025 return, but his activation meant someone had to be removed from the roster.
After suffering a significant early-season injury that sidelined him for a long stretch, Gray’s return requires the Texas Rangers to clear a spot on their 40-man roster. With few extra spots available on any MLB team’s roster, bringing Gray back likely meant parting ways with a veteran out of options.
That player ended up being Luke Jackson, who has a familiar history with Texas—originally drafted by the Rangers and then reappearing unexpectedly in spring training this year. Jackson’s tenure with the team has been a rollercoaster; he started the season as the closer but struggled significantly afterward. Since then, the closer role has been fluid, with no one firmly taking hold and the team relying on whoever’s performing best.
This roster move has been anticipated, as Jon Gray, Joc Pederson, and Joe Barlow are all slated to come off the injured list this summer. Although the timing—right before the trade deadline—is tricky, fans are excited to see reinforcements returning.
Gray is expected to fill either a starting pitcher or bullpen role. Currently, the bullpen has a vacancy that manager Chris Young is looking to address before the deadline. Fortunately, Gray doesn’t appear to have any limitations, as his injury was a freak accident caused by a line drive.
While Gray previously resisted bullpen assignments, he embraced the role during the Rangers’ 2023 World Series run. With a likely plan to make moves at the trade deadline, Gray will probably serve in a hybrid role similar to Jacob Latz but is currently slated to join the bullpen full time.
This is a positive development for the Rangers, who are starting to get healthy just as reinforcements return from rehab assignments. The key now is figuring out how these returning players will fit into the team’s trade deadline strategy.
