Overview
- The Rangers stopped Leiter from throwing in late August after he reported biceps soreness during a rehab outing and expect at least a one-week shutdown while they evaluate the issue.
- Leiter had surgery on June 23 to remove a loose body from his right ankle and had been rebuilding as a starter with multiple rehab appearances at the minors before the new arm complaint emerged.
- In his first relief rehab appearance this month he threw 25 pitches, allowed three runs in one inning, and his four-seamer sat near his season average of roughly 96–97 mph.
- The club had been seriously considering using Leiter in short, high-velocity relief stints to bolster the bullpen, but the biceps setback makes a return to the rotation or a bullpen experiment for 2026 less likely.
- Leiter’s uneven 2026 (a 5.29 ERA in 15 starts) and positive underlying metrics that suggest possible bounceback mean the Rangers will weigh medical clearance, workload limits, and roster needs before any next step.