Whether it be because of poor performance, injuries, or a combination of both, there are a handful of Ranger players who find themselves on thin ice heading into the 2026 season.
Among them are a couple of young players whom the organization spent high draft picks on, but has yet to see sufficient return on its sizable investments.
3 Texas Rangers players facing make-or-break seasons in 2026Josh Jung, 3B
Jung’s grip on the hot corner position has been tenuous for quite a while now. After a second straight subpar season offensively that saw him demoted to Triple-A Round Rock and subsequently benched upon his return, Jung has a lot to prove in 2026.
After finishing 4th in the AL ROY voting in 2023 when he hit .266 with 23 homers and 70 RBIs, his trajectory at the plate has taken a downward spiral. In 2024, Jung came off his rookie year hampered injuries that limited him to just 188 plate appearances.
In 2025, however, he was healthy mostly all season but was never able to get his act together at the plate. With a lack of strike zone discipline and major inconsistency, it was a season to forget for the Gold Glove caliber third baseman. If he gets off to another slow start, the Rangers will undoubtedly look for answers elsewhere, as Jung has tested the patience of the organization.
Kumar Rocker, SP
His Vandy teammate Jack Leiter took major strides towards making good on being a first round pick in 2025. Unfortunately, Kumar Rocker was unable to follow suit and finds himself squarely on the bubble of being left outside the team’s starting pitching plans moving forward.
After an uneven two months as the fifth starter that saw Rocker post a 4-5 record with a 5.44 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in 61.1 innings pitched, there are big-time question marks as to whether the 26-year-old right-hander will ever develop into the dominant force he was in college and at times in the minor leagues.
Rocker has got to work on his conditioning along with his command if he wants to remain part of the conversation for a rotation spot. He has the tools with a plus fast ball and change up, but hasn’t shown the ability to consistently put it all together at the major league level.
Brandon Nimmo, OF
But, hold on a minute, Nimmo hasn’t even played a game in a Rangers uniform yet, and he’s on this list? Yes, he is, because as the man the team got in return for Marcus Semien in the November trade, he is going to be expected to put up Marcus Semien-type numbers to fill the offensive void left by the iron man second baseman.
Nimmo will turn 33 in March, and by making $20 million/year, he is easily the most expensive outfielder on the team, and the second highest paid positional player on the roster, trailing only Corey Seager.
Chris Young and the Rangers’ front office will be looking for immediate returns on their shiny, new investment. Anything short of his standard 20+ homer and 70+ RBI season will be considered underperforming and could make his stint in Arlington a short one.