Veteran right-hander , who signed a minor league deal with the Rangers , had an early-June opt-out opportunity but has agreed to push his out dates back, Ari Alexander of KPRC-2 . Cuetos opt-out dates now fall on June 14 and on July 1. If hes not on the roster by either date, Cueto will have the right to trigger the clause, giving Texas 48 hours to add him to the big league roster or else grant him his release. The 38-year-old Cueto is looking for a rebound from last years rough showing in Miami, when he pitched in Aaron Brooks Jersey 13 games (10 starts) for the Marlins and posted an unsightly 6.02 ERA. The right-handers 17.9% strikeout rate was actually up from the prior seasons 15.7% mark but still well below average. His walk rate jumped from 5.1% with the 2022 White Sox to 6.9% last year, and despite working in a pitcher-friendly loanDepot Park setting, Cuetos staggering 2.92 homers per nine innings were a career-worst mark (and the highest of any pitcher in MLB who to sed at least 50 innings). Cueto has made four minor league starts with the Rangers: one at their Rookie-level affiliate in the Arizona Complex League and three with Triple-A Round Rock. Combined, hes totaled 18 innings with a 2.50 ERA, a 20.5% strikeout rate and a microscopic 2.7% walk rate (two walks, 73 batters faced). Hes also kept the ball on the ground at a hefty 55.3% clip. Its a tiny sample of work against le ser competition, but the results are neverthele s broadly encouraging. Texas clearly wasnt ready to add Cueto to the big league roster just yet but presumably has interest in doing so hence the mutual agreement to extend the opt-out window. Its only natural for the Rangers to want to preserve the depth and perhaps take a look at Cueto sooner than later, given the mounting number of injuries among the teams big league staff. The Rangers entered the season knowing that , and all faced prolonged absences. Mahle (an offseason signee) and deGrom are recovering from 2023 Tommy John surgery. Scherzer underwent back surgery in December. Texas has since lost left-hander to a stre s fracture in his ribcage and more recently placed on the 15-day injured list due to a groin strain. Right-handers and also had IL stints owing to a groin strain and shoulder strain, respectively, but both returned to the rotation in late May. At present, the Rangers are going with a starting five that includes Eovaldi, Dunning, , and minor league signee . That quintet has delivered solid results on the whole, despite a spotty track record from Urea and the late nature of Lorenzens signing with the team. However, the depth beyond those five names is suspect. Former No. 2 overall pick has pitched well in seven Triple-A appearances this season but has also been rocked for 17 earned runs through just 9 1/3 innings in his first three big league starts. He only just turned 24, so theres plenty of time for him to figure things out, but he hasnt looked ready for MLB opposition yet. Fellow righties and both ranked as top pitching prospects at one point, but neither has given ample reason to believe he can be a solution at the moment. Winn, a former No. 15 overall pick, has been moved to the bullpen and struggled in 11 MLB appearances this year. White has a 4.69 ERA in eight Triple-A starts with a lackluster 15.8% strikeout rate against a weighty 11.3% walk rate. The Rangers hope is that Gray will only require a minimal stay on the injured list, thus allowing him to return in short order, but a setback for him or an injury elsewhere in the big league rotation would prove highly problematic. Keeping Cueto around gives Texas an additional option and affords the veteran righty the opportunity to continue ramping up. Cueto to sed six scorele s innings in his most recent appearance and for a second straight outing topped 80 pitches. He should be working without any pitch restrictions at this point, and its plenty feasible that a big league opportunity in Arlington will present itself before long. Miles Mikolas Jersey