Jakob Junis: Everything you need to know

Junis earned the save Tuesday against the Cardinals, allowing one hit while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning. With Jacob Latz working in each of the last two days, Junis was called upon in the ninth inning with a three-run lead and worked around a two-out single by Nelson Velazquez to secure his fourth save of the season and first since April 12. The veteran right-hander continues to provide steady production out of the bullpen, allowing just two runs over his last 17.2 innings. On the year, Junis owns an impressive 1.69 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 17:5 K:BB across 26.2 innings.

Junis (0-1) took the loss Monday, allowing one run on two hits and no walks over 2.2 innings against Arizona. He struck out two. With Nathan Eovaldi (side) scratched, Junis was called upon to start the bullpen game. The right-hander allowed back-to-back one-out doubles to Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo in the first inning, leading to the lone run in a low-scoring loss. Monday marked just the second appearance this season in which Junis allowed a run, snapping a streak of seven consecutive scoreless outings. Overall, the 33-year-old owns a 1.89 ERA and 0.79 WHIP with a 9:5 K:BB across 19 innings and figures to return to a high-leverage role moving forward, though he hasn't been called upon for a save since April 12 with Jacob Latz seizing the closer role.

Junis will serve as the Rangers' opening pitcher for Monday's game against the Diamondbacks, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports. Junis will be called upon to start on short notice after Nathan Eovaldi (side) was a late scratch for his scheduled turn through the rotation. Though he's made 116 career starts in the big leagues, Junis has worked exclusively as a reliever since the start of the 2025 season and may not be asked to cover more than 1-to-3 innings Monday. Cal Quantrill will be available out of the bullpen on two days' rest and could be an option to cover multiple innings once Junis exits the game.