ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas closer Luke Jackson took a 111-mph comeback liner off his pitching hand on the only pitch he threw after coming on in the ninth inning of the Rangers' 2-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Monday night.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said X-rays were negative, but that the right hand “swelled up pretty good.” He said a stint on the injured list was certainly a possibility, but that the Rangers would know more Tuesday.
Ryan McMahon was leading off the ninth when he hit the ball right back at Jackson. The ball struck the pitcher's hand and popped up in the air before falling to the ground on what became an infield single.
Jackson left the game almost immediately after Bochy and athletic trainer Matt Lucero came out of the dugout to check on the pitcher.
“We’ll see how he responds. But that thing blew up right away, so do have some concern,” Bochy said.
“I mean 60 feet away is not that far, especially when those guys can hit as hard as they can,” said Rangers starter Tyler Mahle, who threw 6 1/3 innings for the win. “He was just out there trying to do what he does, and then something crappy like that happens. It just sucks.”
Texas was again without shortstop Corey Seager, who was out of lineup for the fourth time in five games because of hamstring soreness. He homered twice Saturday in the only game he has played in that stretch.
Bochy had said before the game that there could be a pregame move with Seager, but nothing happened then. The two-time World Series MVP missed 10 games when on the IL with a right hamstring strain from April 23 until being reinstated May 3.
Asked after the game if there was any update on Seager, Bochy responded, “No, no. We'll know more tomorrow.”
The comebacker that struck Jackson came an inning after Brenton Doyle's hard liner was snagged by Chris Martin, the 6-foot-8 Rangers reliever who was going down to a knee when he made the catch on the ball coming right back at him.
Jacob Webb replaced Jackson, who has eight saves in nine chances, and immediately got a fielder's choice out. The Rockies then loaded the bases on a single by Michael Toglia and a four-pitch walk to Sean Bouchard.
The game ended and Webb had his first save when Kyle Farmer hit a chopper to third baseman Josh Jung, who stepped on the bag and then threw across to first to complete a double play.
“That walk put him in a jam there," Bochy said. “He lost it there for four pitches, but then made a pitch when he had to to get the big double play.”
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Texas Rangers pitcher Luke Jackson, center, walks to the mound after getting hit by a line drive during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Texas Rangers pitcher Luke Jackson (77) leaves after getting hit by a line drive during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
BOSTON (AP) — Alex Bregman’s first game back with the Red Sox since late May had a dramatic flair to it.
Bregman went 1 for 4 with a double off the Green Monster as the Red Sox rallied for their eighth straight win when Ceddanne Rafaela's ninth inning homer lifted them over the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 on Friday night.
Boston manager Alex Cora said after the game that there are ground rules in place to make sure the All-Star third baseman doesn’t suffer a setback after missing 43 games with a quad strain.
Bregman won’t play on Saturday as the team is taking a long-range view with a player who was sidelined since May 24 when he sustained an injury that occurred when he rounded first base and felt his quad tighten up to the point where leaving the game was the best option.
A clear indication of the restrictions placed on Bregman came in the fifth inning Friday night when he hit a sharp grounder to third base but didn’t hustle down the line.
“When he hits a groundball, he’s not going to go all-out to first,” Cora said. “It might look bad, but we need him healthy and we’re going to keep him healthy.”
It’s a new reality that figures to take some getting used to, since Bregman is known for being a foot-on-the-gas-pedal-at-all-times ballplayer.
“Yeah, it sucks,” Bregman said. “But the first few weeks especially, just got to be smart out of the box. When I first got out there, my legs weighed like five pounds. Later in the game, it felt like they weighed a little more than that."
Bregman returned to his customary spot in the field and was slotted in the No. 2 spot of Boston’s lineup for the second of a four-game series against the Rays. A two-time World Series winner who spent the first nine seasons of his big league career with the Houston Astros, Bregman signed a $120 million, three-year contract in February.
At the time of the injury, he was hitting .299 with 11 homers and 35 RBIs. Those numbers led to Bregman being named an American League All-Star for the third time.
Earlier this week, Bregman said he was trending in a direction where he didn’t believe he would require a minor league rehab assignment. With three games left before the All-Star break, the Red Sox clearly agreed that the time was right to reinstate a player to a team that entered Friday in possession of one of the AL’s three wild-card berths.
“My body feels good. Super thankful to the training staff and strength and conditioning staff for allowing me to get back this quick,” said Bregman. “Initially, we thought it would be more like 12 weeks. To get back in seven weeks is awesome, but we’ve got to take it slow. On the days we’re not playing, we’re going to make sure my full hip complex is staying strong and my hamstrings and quads are good.”
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Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman dives for the ball on a left field single hit by Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, July 11, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Boston Red Sox's Alex Bregman runs to second base on an infield double during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Boston Red Sox's Alex Bregman gestures after hitting an infield double during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
FILE - Boston Red Sox's Alex Bregman heads for the dugout after injuring himself on a single against the Baltimore Orioles during the fifth inning in the first baseball game of a doubleheader on May 23, 2025, at Fenway Park in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson, File)
