With the 2025 Texas Rangers season having come to an end, we shall be, over the course of the offseason, taking a look at every player who appeared in a major league game for the Texas Rangers in 2025.
Today we are looking at pitcher Codi Heuer.
Codi Heuer made one appearance for the Texas Rangers in 2025. The Rangers purchased his contract on June 1, when they needed a fresh arm in the pen when Nathan Eovaldi went to the i.l., and designated Tucker Barnhart for assignment to make room for him on the 40
man roster. He recorded the final four outs in a game in Tampa on June 3, striking out one and allowing a homer, and was optioned to AAA the next day. On July 31, needing to clear a 40 man roster spot, the Rangers traded Heuer to Detroit for cash.
Not much there at first glance. Nonetheless, Heuer’s appearance with the Rangers is notable, as a study in perseverence.
Codi Heuer was originally a sixth round pick of the Chicago White Sox in 2018 out of Wichita State (go Shockers!). Never a highly regarded prospect, he nonetheless ended up being part of the ChiSox bullpen in 2020, putting up a 1.52 ERA in 21 games and pitching in two of Chicago’s Wild Card Series games against Oakland.
In 2021, he wasn’t as successful, putting up a 5.12 ERA in 40 games for the White Sox before being traded, along with Nick Madrigal, to the Chicago Cubs for Craig Kimbrel. Heuer put up a 3.14 ERA in 25 games for the Cubs post-trade, picking up a save against the Pirates in his final appearance in 2021.
Little could Heuer have guessed it would be the last major league game he would appear in for over three years.
In spring training of 2022, Heuer was diagnosed with a damaged UCL and underwent Tommy John surgery. After missing all of 2022, he started a rehab assignment in early May, 2023.
Heuer made 15 appearances for the Iowa Cubs, and seemed to be close to being activated from the injured list when he went out for rehab appearance #15. In that game, though, he faced two batters before being pulled. It turned out he had re-injured his elbow — this time, suffering a fracture. 14 months of rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, followed by six weeks of game appearances at AAA, and just when it seemed like he was going to be back in the majors, he ended up instead back where he started — needing to rehab for another year-plus from an elbow injury.
Heuer became a free agent in November, 2023, and signed a two year minor league contract with the Rangers in April, 2024. He spent the season rehabbing, the second time in three years where he didn’t throw a competitive pitch.
Spring training, 2025, Heuer was a non-roster invitee to the major league camp. He was assigned to Round Rock to start the year and did solid work out of the pen before being summoned back to the major leagues.
That outing on June 3, in Tampa, was a pretty big deal. Heuer had to have wondered, time and again, if he’d ever make it back to the big leagues. He had to have thought, particularly after the second injury, if another grueling year of rehab was worth it. He wasn’t a star, someone who would be sure of making big money upon his return. No, he was a fringe player, someone whose reward, if he was able to make it back, was likely to be the life of a AAA veteran, toiling away and hoping for an opportunity to reclaim a role as a major leaguer.
But he persevered. He stuck with it. And he made it back to the top of the mountain. He deserves a tip of the cap for that.
Heuer made a pair of major league appearances for Detroit after the trade, but spent most of his time at Toledo, the Tigers’ AAA affiliate. He was released in September, and was signed to a minor league deal by the Cleveland Guardians. He most likely will be with Columbus, the Guardians’ AAA affiliate, to start the year.
I’ll be rooting for him to be called up at some point in the 2026 season.
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