Late Callup Buoys Hard-Throwing Rangers Reliever Marc Church
Triple-A Round Rock’s season ended on Sept. 22 in Tacoma, but 40-man roster players weren’t done yet. They had a trip to the Rangers’ complex in Surprise, Ariz., waiting for them.
This group of players remained active for a few additional weeks during a season in which injuries affected every corner of the Rangers’ roster.
Among those kept active was 23-year-old righthanded reliever Marc Church, who pitched just 25.2 innings after an early lat injury kept him out four months. But then his phone rang on Sept. 26 with surprising news: He was going to the major leagues.
Church was officially called up a day later and made his MLB debut on Sept. 28, pitching around a leadoff double to log a scoreless inning. His journey continued in the Arizona Fall League.
An 18th-round pick in 2019 out of an Atlanta high school, Church narrowly missed making the Rangers’ Opening Day roster and then missed most of the season, so the late reprieve buoyed Church as he readies for 2025.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect to make it this season after what happened in April,” Church said. “It’s just a blessing to be here.”
His goal for the final weekend, aside from pitching well, was to get a feel for big league life and the atmosphere of a big league game. He thought he would have that opportunity early in the season after a strong spring, but the injury only a few weeks in tested him mentally.
Church flashed 98 mph in his debut and said he was up to 99 over the final six weeks at Round Rock. He also features a wipeout slider and has flirted with a splitter on the advice of Nathan Eovaldi.
He will log innings in the AFL to get him ready to again compete for an MLB bullpen role next season.
“It was so frustrating because it felt like I was so close,” Church said. “When I was hurt, I thought it was only going to be two or three weeks down . . . It was tough to deal with, but I went through and I’m going to be better because of it.”
RANGERS ROUNDUP
— It was a rough season for the Rangers, but a notable one for the organization’s top prospects. Each of Texas’ last four first-round picks made their MLB debuts—Wyatt Langford (2023), Kumar Rocker (2022), Jack Leiter (2021) and Justin Foscue (2020)—as did 2018 first-rounder Cole Winn.
— Another notable MLB debut was outfielder Dustin Harris, who started twice at DH and connected for his first career hit, a two-run double, and his first career homer, a solo shot, in the 2024 finale.
— Among those joining Church in the Arizona Fall League is Double-A Frisco shortstop Max Acosta, who batted .304 with an .843 OPS in the second half. If he keeps hitting in the AFL, his performance could convince the Rangers to add him to the 40-man roster to avoid exposure to the Rule 5 draft.
