Veteran lefty Jordan Montgomery activated from IL and will pitch out of Rangers bullpen

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Veteran left-hander Jordan Montgomery was activated from the 60-day injured list Friday by the Texas Rangers and will pitch out of their bullpen after recovering from elbow surgery.

Montgomery, a key starter for the Rangers during their World Series championship run in 2023, returned to the team in free agency at the start of spring training. At the time, he was still rehabbing from the Tommy John surgery he had after pitching for Arizona in 2024.

The playoff-chasing Rangers made the move before the opener of their three-game series against Baltimore. Right-handed pitcher Nolan Kingham was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the roster.

Texas manager Skip Schumaker said the 33-year-old Montgomery and right-hander Cal Quantrill, who had made seven starts since mid-June after Jack Leiter went on the IL, will both be used for now as relievers.

Quantrill's rotation spot will go to left-hander Cody Bradford, who on Wednesday made his first start since the end of the 2024 season after recovering from elbow surgery. As a rookie, Bradford was also a key contributor to the Rangers' World Series title in 2023, when he went 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in five relief appearances during the postseason.

Montgomery had made eight minor league appearances since mid-June, allowing only one run over 9 1/3 innings his last two starts.

A trade-deadline acquisition from St. Louis in 2023, Montgomery went 4-2 with a 2.79 ERA in 11 regular-season games for the Rangers before winning two American League Championship Series games. That included 2 1/3 innings of relief work in the Game 7 clincher at Houston. He went 3-1 in six games that postseason, the loss coming when starting Game 2 of the World Series against Arizona.

Montgomery then left in free agency and went 8-7 with a 6.23 ERA for the Diamondbacks in 2024. Over eight big league seasons with the New York Yankees, St. Louis, Texas and Arizona, Montgomery is 46-41 with a 4.03 ERA in 166 games (161 starts).

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