Rangers Lose Cal Quantrill for Season, Place Joc Pederson on IL in Brutal Roster Blow

The Texas Rangers' late-season survival plan just took a massive hit, and the pitching staff is officially running on fumes and duct tape.

According to MLB Trade Rumors, Joc Pederson is heading to the injured list with a fractured left hand, and Cal Quantrill is officially done for the year with a right lat strain.

Quantrill has been the unexpected glue guy for Texas. Since getting called up in mid-April to cover for Jack Leiter, he posted a 2.51 ERA over 14 starts. He was cruising with a 1.82 ERA over his last nine outings before his fastball velocity dropped from a crisp 93.8 mph to a very concerning 87.8 mph against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.

Pederson, meanwhile, has been trying to tough out a fractured hand without actually swinging a bat. That is a bold strategy for a designated hitter, and the Rangers finally stopped the charade by putting him on the shelf.

Trying to make a playoff push with a fractured hand and a blown lat is like trying to win a drag race on four flat tires. The Rangers' bullpen was already so overworked that they were basically asking fans in the first few rows if they could give them a solid middle inning.

Texas just dropped their Sunday finale 7-2 to Toronto and now has to welcome the New York Mets on Tuesday.

Anyone looking at the run totals for this upcoming series needs to factor in that the Rangers are going to be piecing together innings with whoever is left standing. If you are holding a ticket on Texas making a deep October run, it might be time to start looking for the cash-out button.