Elvis has Reentered the Building

Today, the Yankees play the only AL team they've yet to face...and thankfully it's the Rangers, so they might be able to sneak out some wins.

This Rangers team is a very...forgettably okay one. They're a little under .500, and they're in 3rd, and they have no chance of making the postseason, but they weren't nicked at the deadline, and they still have enough of their core to be competent in matchups. So...they still win games.

Look, I don't think the Rangers have recovered from losing Joey Gallo to the IL, as even with Elvis Andrus back to his consistent, likable self, this is still an underwhelming team at times. You're relying on offensive standouts like Danny Santana, Delino DeShields, and a pair of 35-year-old outfielders. What'd you expect. Hell, you were too good for Asdrubal Cabrera, even!

The best thing I can say is at least they have a concrete starting rotation, something they've struggled with all year, behind Mike Minor and Lance Lynn. As much as Ariel Jurado can be shaky at times, you have Brock Burke, who has a 1.50 ERA in 3 starts, and you have Kolby Allard, who has 3 wins and 27 strikeouts in 5 starts. Burke and Allard could definitely head up this rotation in a short time, and given that Minor and Lynn are signed for 1 and 2 more years respectively, this rotation could be pretty kickass in the future.

But for now...we have Willie Calhoun and Nick Solak gasping for playing time, Jeff Mathis starting at catcher while hitting under the mendoza line, and Rougned Odor continuing to be a face of the team despite hitting .194 with 154 strikeouts. This team needs a lot more work before they can compete again.

Coming Tonight: Last year, at a minor league game, I saw a kid playing for Norfolk that was the grandson of a Hall of Famer, and I kinda figured that if he was toiling in the minors, he'd never break the majors. I was wrong.