ARLINGTON – Logan O’Hoppe returned to the majors for the first time in nearly a month on Sunday.  

A lot has changed. His confidence. His free agency clock. And his perspective. Instead of being with the Los Angeles Angels, he was facing them as a member of the Rangers.  

“Not only was I willing, but ‘needed,’ is the word I’d use for it,” O’Hoppe said of being optioned to the minors where he slashed .328/.414/.623/1.037 over the past 15 games. “I wasn’t very confident with what I was doing, wasn’t convicted in really anything I was doing on the field. But I knew that what I had done in the past was in there. So, when I was told I got optioned, I was excited for it. 

“I was actually more excited than if I just came over here. I got that spark back in me, like waking up in the morning and feeling really excited to get to the field again. Enjoying the game again is what I got out of it. That may not sound like a lot on paper, but it’s a pretty big deal to me.” 

O’Hoppe, who went into the lineup immediately as the DH, replaces Jared Kelenic on the roster. Kelenic was designated for assignment for the second time since joining the Rangers organization earlier this year. Kelenic hit .200 with a .533 OPS in 24 plate appearances with Texas.  

Kelenic is a left-handed hitter and the Rangers are in need of some more offense, especially from the right side. Starting with Sunday’s game against the Angels and lefty Yusei Kikuchi, the Rangers were scheduled to face left-handed starters in four of their next eight games.  

Adding O’Hoppe primarily as the DH in that stretch allows the Rangers to move Justin Foscue from DH to second and shift Ezequiel Duran to center in place of lefty-hitting Evan Carter. 

Manager Skip Schumaker acknowledged the Rangers may have to stress early offense over defense given their recent slump. 

“We have to get going offensively, and there’s guys that are fighting right now and doing the best they can,” Schumaker said. “We’re looking for a spark and if we get that O’Hoppe, that’s great. But I’m also not putting all the pressure on him. He’s hitting seventh.”  

And O’Hoppe is kind of tired of putting pressure on himself anyway. Without blaming the Angels organization, he said that he “needed” the change of scenery that came with the trade.  

“I didn’t like the dude in the mirror on or off the field,” O’Hoppe said. “It was the hardest four years of my baseball life over there. It taught me a lot. I’m really grateful for that. Met a lot of good people over there. Had a lot of good experiences, but it brought a lot of challenges. And I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t true. I wouldn’t change anything if I could, but the bottom line is it was hard. I’m really happy that I can use what I learn now and help this team as much as I can get in the playoffs.” 

He may also have additional time to do that for the Rangers and not just this year. With the time he spent in the minors, his service time will now fall just short of four years at the end of this season. It gives the Rangers an additional year of control they didn’t have when they got him. He would not be eligible for free agency now until after the 2029 season. 

“I really feel like I had a stroke of luck when I got traded over here,” he said. “Everybody here has helped me take steps in the right direction.”