Texas Rangers reliever Jacob Latz was named to his first career All-Star Game on Saturday, earning the lone selection for the Rangers on the American League squad. The 30-year-old left-hander was chosen by the Commissioner's Office as MLB continues to reveal rosters for the July 14 Midsummer Classic at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
Latz, who spent spring training competing for the fifth starter spot before transitioning to the bullpen, seized the closer role in late April when manager Skip Schumaker gave him the nod. He enters the All-Star break as the reigning American League Reliever of the Month for June, when he logged an MLB-high 11 saves with a 1.13 ERA across 16 innings.
The breakout season includes a 1.71 ERA and 0.62 WHIP, with opposing batters hitting just .120 against him. Latz leads all of baseball in saves of four or more outs, with nine, and saves of two-plus innings, with five, demonstrating the trust Schumaker has placed in him for high-leverage situations.
He becomes just the ninth Rangers or Senators reliever to earn an All-Star selection, and the first since Kirby Yates in 2024. His 11 saves in June set a franchise record for saves in a single month, and he registered three saves of two or more innings in that span, more than any MLB pitcher has achieved in the entire 2026 season.
Latz, drafted by the Rangers in the fifth round in 2017 out of Kent State, made his major league debut in August 2021. He told MLB.com that getting congratulations from teammates and having Schumaker announce the selection was a moment he will remember forever, adding that being recognized as one of the better players in baseball is a feeling that is tough to describe.
