Justin Foscue has been his usual self in AAA, batting .287/.407/.426 with ten doubles and two homers in 30 games. He’s exceedingly patient and will wait not just for strikes but his preferred strikes. Similarly, he’s well above average at avoiding whiffs. In 1,375 trips to the plate in AAA, he has more combined walks and HBP (217) than strikeouts (192). Foscue’s exit velocities are solid. He has a knack for hard, pulled, airborne contact.
There are some mild negatives. Foscue hits the ball at every angle under the sun, so his power is dampened by grounders and especially a higher rate of popups. Most of his statcast data reads as good, but not elite. He has Triple A figured out, but he doesn’t have the data set that has me thinking his absence from the Majors is a criminal offense. Management has never cleared a path for him, and he’s never forced the issue. He is almost certainly a better hitter than what he’s shown to date in MLB, but good enough to claim more than an injury-sub role? I don’t know. I hope so.
In a more general sense, nobody is coming to save the Rangers in 2026. The farm is thinner than usual, more pitching-oriented at the upper levels, and has been placed strongly in the service of bolstering via trade an MLB roster that is older and designed for immediate results.
Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 6, at Durham (TAM) 7
Round Rock: 12 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 5 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 13-21, 6 GB
SP Josh Stephan: 6 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 3 R, 0 BB, 11 SO, 85 P / 61 S, 5.10 ERA
RP Ryan Brasier: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.46 ERA
LF Aaron Zavala: 2-3, 2 2B, BB, .268/.358/.390
In a duel with top-100 prospect Brody Hopkins, Josh Stephan tied a career-best 11 strikeouts and walked none, while Hopkins fanned “only” seven and walked three. Stephan’s control has always been special, but his strikeout rate dropped below average once he reached AA in 2024, and his hits (including homers) increased. His AA ERA across 166 innings is 4.86. So, when he was promoted to AAA in last season’s final week, it was more about seeing if he could hang at the level than conquering Double A.
Stephan’s four-seamer and sinker hover around 91-92 and lack big movement. He can spot them, but they need help. In 2026, the action pitch has been a cutter that at 89 runs barely underneath his heater velocity. He’s been throwing them for called strikes and getting chases, although batters have been pretty successful when managing to put them in play.
After last night, Stephan’s K rate this season is 30%, equivalent to his higher rate in high-A and far above his 20% across ’24-’25 in AA. Keeping that up is a big ask, but any meaningful improvement would aid his quest to reach the Majors. 
AA: Frisco 10, NW Arkansas (KAN) 3
Frisco: 10 hits, 8 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 4 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 15-13, 3 GB
SP Josh Trentadue: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 76 P / 46 S, 7.08 ERA
CF Dylan Dreiling: 1-4, HR (3), BB, .280/.364/.413
2B Keyber Rodriguez: 2-5, HR (4), .324/.350/.550
C Ian Moller: 2-4, HR (3), BB, .246/.329/.431
SS Corey Joyce: 2-3, 2B, HR (6), 2 BB, .358/.443/.774
Hooray. Josh Trentadue offered his best AA start to date and largely banished the control issues that have bedeviled him at this level. He wasn’t perfect, reaching four three-ball counts in the early innings, and a hit-by-pitch and a wild pitch surrounding an error put two in scoring position with none out in the 3rd. He was able to escape that unscathed with two strikeouts and a groundout.
Ian Moller hit his third homer, one shy of last year’s total in nearly 80% fewer games. He’s never slugged over .315 outside the complex, partly because his presumed power hasn’t advanced as hoped, partly because of a low batting average as well. Maybe he’s gearing up. 
Hi-A: Hub City 8, Wilmington (WAS) 14
Hub City: 9 hits, 4 walks, 14 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 10 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 13-14, 4 GB
SP Aidan Curry: 3.1 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 3 R, 4 BB, 4 SO, 81 P / 46 S, 3.43 ERA
RF Maxton Martin: 1-5, HR (3), .221/.287/.453
3B Gleider Figuereo: 3-4, 2B, .189/.270/.311
Unfortunately, I can’t offer a hooray for Aidan Curry, who showed great control in his first two starts but has lapsed into prior issues lately. Wilmington also pummeled the pen. Devin Fitz-Gerald tripled, homered and drew three walks. 
Lo-A: Hickory 5, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 7
Hickory: 7 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 16-12, 1 GB
SP Frank Martinez: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 59 P / 37 S, 8.64 ERA
CF Marcos Torres: 1-4, HR (6), .270/.383/.580
SS Yolfran Castillo: 2-4, 2B, SB (10), .290/.387/.411
21-year-old Marcos Torres is second in the system with six homers (one behind Deward Tovar) and leads with 12 steals. Torres is young but is at the level for a third time. He hit six homers in 93 games art Down East in 2024 and six in 80 games at Hickory last year. In 2026, six in just 27 games. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the first Hickory batter to advance to high-A this season, although that will take an additional transaction or injury, as Hub City already has a crowd at every position he plays. 
Rookie: Rangers 7, Cubs 8
SP Ben Abeldt: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO
RP Josh Owens: 2 perfect IP, 1 SO
3B Jack Wheeler: 2-5, 2B
CF Marco Argudin: 4-4 3B, SB
Again, I don’t plan to cover every game, but darned if I didn’t find some Statcast data from last night. Two-wayer Josh Owens dealt a sinker ranking from 93.4 to 98.5 (median 96.6) and a lone slider at 84.7. He missed three bats on ten swings.
In his pro debut, Ben Abeldt’s primary pitch was a sinker topping at 92.3 and mostly 89-91. Next was an offering in the 74-76 range. I’ve read multiple reports on his sweeper, but the velocity and drop on this pitch read more like a slurve. He also threw a few pitches in a 76-83 range that read as split or straight changes. I’m going purely off my interpretation of the raw data, because Statcast classified every single pitch he threw as a sinker.
Everything off Marco Argudin’s bat was at least 91.7, and his triple reached 106.4, the hardest by any Ranger.
Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD
AA: Townsend
Hi-A: Pence
Lo-A: Deakins
Five Years Ago Yesterday
For high-A Hickory, Cole Ragans pitched in a real game for the first time three years and eight months. He was returning from two Tommy John surgeries. Top 2020 pick Justin Foscue collected his first pro hit.
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