The Texas Rangers spent the first half of the regular season in search of answers.
They tweaked their lineup in each and every direction. They fired a hitting coach and hired a hitting coach. They demoted players and promoted players. They pushed themselves into uncomfortable positions in search of comfort.
It’s on the players now as the second half starts Friday vs. the Detroit Tigers at Globe Life Field. Here are five players whom the Rangers, who begin the post-All-Star break segment of the year with a 48-49 record and a significant deficit in the division, need to perform in the second half.
OF Wyatt Langford
Rangers
Texas Rangers Wyatt Langford cheers scoring a double during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 in Arlington . (Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer)
The Rangers had hoped that Langford, 23, could take a second-year leap in his sophomore season in the major leagues and anchor the lineup.
His improvement has been marginal at best. Langford’s .756 OPS is only a few ticks better than the .740 OPS he posted during his rookie season and his 111 wRC+ — an all-encompassing metric which measures a player’s offensive production — is the exact same. His strikeout rate has increased by 6% year-to-year and he’s reached base at a smaller clip.
His age and previous peaks (see: American League Player of the Month last September and a 1.052 OPS in the month of April) should quell any long term concerns with Langford’s production. But, if the Rangers are to reach their previously expected heights this year, Langford will need to more resemble the player he was in the second half of last season instead of the player he was in the first half of this one.
Related:Rangers second-half primer: How steep is Texas’ climb back into the playoffs?3B Josh Jung
Texas Rangers third base Josh Jung watches as he gets grounds out to Kansas City Royals second baseman Jonathan India during the first inning of a baseball game at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 in Arlington . (Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer)
The caveat here, of course, is that it’s unclear when Jung will return to the big league team. He was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock after a dreadful month-plus of baseball and has only played in five minor league games since.
The Rangers have given no indication as to when he may return and on Thursday, after first baseman Jake Burger was placed on the injured list, the club chose to promote veteran big leager Rowdy Tellez instead of him.
Jung’s heights are well-documented. He was an All-Star starter and a Gold Glove-caliber third baseman two years ago but has battled injuries and his own lack of performance since. The Rangers were a significantly better offense with Jung in the lineup from 2023-24 and he can lengthen the lineup by a significant margin when he is at his best.
He hasn’t been this season. If he responds well to the minor league assignment and can work out the kinks in his swing decisions, though, his reimplementation could be a boon.
Related:How Josh Jung’s return to Round Rock could get the Rangers’ third baseman out of his funkRHPs Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter
Texas Rangers pitchers Kumar Rocker (left) and Jack Leiter (right).(SportsDay Staff)
The Rangers have a formidable one-two punch in right-handers Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi and left-hander Patrick Corbin has been a legitimately reliable back-end-of-the-rotation piece.
There’s less certainty after that with right-hander Tyler Mahle (shoulder) sidelined through mid-August at the earliest and right-hander Jon Gray (wrist) still on the mend. That’s why Rocker and Leiter — their first-round selections in the 2022 and 2021 MLB draft, respectively — could be so crucial.
Both have shown equal parts quality and questions. Rocker, 25, was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock in early June to address questions that surrounded his major league readiness. He’s allowed two or fewer runs in four of his five starts since he returned, though, and has appeared to turn a legitimate corner as it pertains to his focus on the mound.
Leiter, also 25, has a 4.37 ERA in 16 starts this season. He’s struggled find a putaway pitch and needs to eliminate long atbats if he wants to give himself a chance to pitch deeper into games.
The Rangers may need it.
Related:Evan Grant’s 10 thoughts on the Texas Rangers: Trade deadline ideas and a murky futureSS Corey Seager
Texas Rangers’ Corey Seager hits a two-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif.(Jayne Kamin-Oncea / AP)
Look, it’s neither flashy nor unexpected, but to borrow a phrase from manager Bruce Bochy, the Rangers go as Seager goes.
His unseasonably slow start (in which he yielded a .733 OPS through June 15) has since warmed into his expected level of performance. His 1.029 OPS since June 16 is the 11th-best in baseball and his seven home runs in that span are the most any Ranger has hit. His .845 OPS, despite his early struggles, is now the best on the team.
Now he has to keep that up for the season’s final two-and-a-half months. It’s no exxageration to say that the Rangers will not fire on all possible cylinders if Seager cannot maintain his All-Star caliber play.
Related:Texas Rangers’ Corey Seager has season back on track after torrid stretch at plateDH Joc Pederson
Texas Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson watches the flight of a three-run home run during the seventh inning of an exhibition baseball game against the Kansas City Royals at Globe Life Field on Monday, March 24, 2025.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
The Rangers signed Pederson to a two-year contract in hopes that he could provide the caliber of slug and fastball aptitude that they sorely missed last season.
Yeah, well, about that.
Pederson was one of baseball’s worst qualified hitters (.131/.269/.238 slash line in 46 games) before his hand was fractured by a pitch against the Chicago White Sox on May 24. He was a black hole at designated hitter and contributed to the dismal start that the Rangers offense was on through June.
His season isn’t over yet, though, and his story isn’t as a result of that. Pederson is expected to to take batting practice within the next week or two, which may signal that a rehab assignment isn’t far off should he continue to check every physical box.
If Pederson returns healthy — and if he can produce at any rate close to his career .802 OPS — then he may be the closest thing that the Rangers can find in a trade deadline reinforcement for their lineup. It’d make the two-year, $37 million contract he signed look significantly more tolerable if he can contribute to a stretch run too.
Texas Rangers send Dane Dunning to Atlanta in trade that could prove prudent at deadlineJon Gray will return to the Texas Rangers soon, but in what role on the pitching staff?
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