SURPRISE, Ariz. — By Sunday afternoon, after five days of bullpens and long toss, the complex backfields were stuffed with batting cages and base running drills.
The Texas Rangers arrived for spring training in their full capacity with less than a week until Cactus League games begin. It begged the question of the hierarchy of importance at this stage of camp. Is it the position battles? Is it the live bullpens? Is it how quickly the club can adapt to a relatively new staff that’s preached early about chemistry?
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“I think what matters most is health,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Sunday. “I’m going to say that the entire spring training.”
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The team’s full squad reported in one piece Sunday, save for a handful of pitchers who will be slow-played over the next five weeks, and will now proceed into the first season of the Schumaker Era and their third removed from the World Series Era.
It’s as good a start as any.
Here’s what else we learned after one week of camp.
Sunday in Surprise: See photos from another day at Texas Rangers spring training
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The camp cliché might not be such a cliché: Yes, we get it, the whole best-shape-of-his-life declaration is a bit tired. The Rangers — or at least a handful of key contributors — have nonetheless taken it to heart.
Maybe body is more apt.
Designated hitter Joc Pederson, on the heels of a career-worst campaign in which he slashed .181/.285/.328 in an injury-shortened 96 games, estimated that he lost 15-20 pounds over the winter. Left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery, signed last week for his second tour with the team, lost close to 25 pounds and cut 10% of his body fat. First baseman Jake Burger picked up pilates to help mitigate the soft tissue injuries that nagged him in his debut season with the club. Infielder Josh Smith gave it a shot, too, as he vies for the second base job and a full season of consistency. Outfielder Evan Carter — whose last two seasons have been plagued by injury — came in at 190 pounds and looks noticeably stronger.
The physical improvements are ultimately moot if they don’t translate to on-field improvements, but early returns are reflective of a group that recognized action needed to be taken after a dismal offensive season across the board.
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Speaking of Smith: Outside of the outfield, a group whose intrigue is more so rooted in specific alignment and less so the names that’ll play there, the second base vacancy remains the most high-profile competition on the position player side.
Smith has considerably more big league experience and a longer track record of offensive success compared to any other would-be second baseman on the roster. His work as a super-utility man, which saw him play seven different positions last season, suggests that he can pick up the position full-time even if he’s only started eight games there as a major leaguer.
Take it from him.
“I’d also never played left field, center field, right field or first base,” Smith joked Saturday when asked how he’d adapt to second. “I’m just trying to learn. I’m speaking to some guys who’ve done it before me. I know [Ian] Kinsler will probably be out here, so I’d like to try and work with him on some stuff. Just getting comfortable.”
Smith and infielder Cody Freeman both fielded groundballs at second base Sunday during the club’s first full-squad workout. Infielder Ezequiel Duran, the third potential candidate to play second, took groundballs at third base alongside Josh Jung.
Don’t be close-minded: The Rangers won’t be, at least, as it pertains to their ninth-inning situation. Schumaker said that right-hander Chris Martin and left-hander Robert Garcia will get the early opportunities to close games in spring training.
Texas Rangers pitcher Chris Martin motions from the bullpen during a spring training workout at the team’s training facility on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, in Surprise, Ariz.
Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer
Martin, 40, was effective when healthy last season, considered whether he wanted to continue his career early this offseason and had a metaphorical fire lit under him when the Rangers reached out about a reunion.
Garcia converted 9 of his 16 save opportunities last year before an August stumble led to his effective demotion. The 29-year-old said last week that he wants to close games this season “as badly as I’ve ever wanted something.”
The closer role (and the fifth starter position) are the two most competitive position battles because Smith may have a sizable advantage to claim the second base vacancy. It’ll also help determine the organization of the rest of the bullpen, too, as the Rangers have had to reconstruct their relief staff for the second consecutive offseason.
Coach corner: Fan favorite outfielder-turned-first base coach Travis Jankowski ran baserunning drills with a group of players that included several of his former teammates Sunday during the first full-squad workout. The 34-year-old is in the midst of his first camp as a coach after more than a decade-long career as a player and will assist both on the basepaths and in the outfield.
“He’ll definitely help a lot for all of us in the outfield and on the bases,” outfielder Wyatt Langford said. “I’m super excited for that.”
Jankowski wore No. 16 in his two seasons as a player with the Rangers but will wear No. 96 as a coach. He said that it’s the sum of his wife, Lindsey, and their four children’s birthdates added together.
Housekeeping: Schumaker said Sunday that some players, like outfielders Wyatt Langford and Brandon Nimmo, might not play in the first handful of Cactus League games as part of individual ramp-up plans for the season. He stressed that the delayed starts are not related to injuries.
“Some guys want it right away,” Schumaker said. “Some guys want to start game four or five or six or whatever down the road. I’m walking through each guy’s player plan as they’re coming into the office the last few days. There’s no setbacks or anything.”
The Rangers begin Cactus League play Friday against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium.
Twitter/X: @McFarland_Shawn
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