The Rangers have brought veteran right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. back to the majors, selecting his contract from Triple-A Round Rock, as reported by multiple beat writers. To clear space on both the active and 40-man rosters, Texas designated Caleb Boushley for assignment.
Edwards’ 2025 season has already taken him on a winding journey — he appeared in two games for the Angels, spent a brief stretch in the Mexican League, and logged 50 2/3 innings across 15 outings with the Triple-A affiliates of both Los Angeles and Texas.
His Mexican League stint ended in July when the Rangers signed him to a minor league deal, bringing him full circle after originally drafting him in 2011 before trading him to the Cubs two years later.
Best known for his time as a key bullpen piece with Chicago from 2016 to 2018, Edwards has since bounced around, pitching for seven different MLB teams since 2019.
Across that span, he’s posted a 4.28 ERA in 124 innings, though his appearances have been sporadic, including just one outing with the Padres in 2024 and two with the Angels earlier this season.
With Round Rock this year, Edwards has a 5.31 ERA over 39 innings, though his strikeout (26%), walk (7.7%), and groundball (53.6%) rates suggest stronger underlying performance, with bad luck on balls in play (.362 BABIP) inflating his ERA. While traditionally a reliever, he has experimented with starting in both Mexico and Triple-A, starting seven of his eight appearances for Round Rock.
Still, after the Rangers burned through six pitchers in an 11-0 loss to Houston, Edwards is most likely being brought up as a long-relief option. If he does make a start, it would be the first of his 11-year big league career.
Boushley, meanwhile, struggled in that same loss, surrendering five runs in just one inning of work. Over 43 2/3 innings this season, he owns a rough 6.02 ERA despite a much better 3.81 SIERA, as bad luck on balls in play and a low strand rate have hurt his numbers.
With a reasonable strikeout-to-walk profile and two option years remaining, he could attract interest from another club on waivers. If not, he has the right to decline an outright assignment and test free agency.
