Chris Young Hopeful Joc Pederson Avoided Broken Hand

ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said Monday the club is hopeful Joc Pederson avoided a broken bone in his left hand, and he would not commit to the designated hitter being back in the lineup by Thursday. Young gave the update on the team’s off day during his weekly segment on 105.3 The Fan’s G-Bag Nation.

Arizona right-hander Brandon Pfaadt hit Pederson with a full-count fastball in the fifth inning Saturday at Chase Field, in an inning Texas turned into six runs on the way to a 6-2 win. X-rays came back negative. The Rangers waited on a CT scan, and Pederson saw an Arizona-based hand specialist Sunday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reported. He sat out Sunday’s 7-6 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks with a hard brace on the hand.

Texas activated Josh Jung off the injured list hours before the Saturday game, ending a 47-game absence with a left calf strain.

“I think we all see the difference he makes. It’s been huge,” Young said. “It just lengthens our lineup, and unfortunately, the second we get JJ back, we lose Joc for a few days. And so the hope is that Joc is going to be OK.”

“Joc has had a tremendous season,” Young continued, “has really, really played well, been one of our most consistent players all year long, and has just been, especially since he’s been in the leadoff spot, just a tremendous hitter in that spot and a threat in the lineup. And so to lose Joc the second that JJ comes back was a little bit disheartening.”

Pederson has hit 26 home runs in 136 games, tied with first baseman Jake Burger for the team lead. He is batting .235/.329/.487 with 53 RBIs and 49 walks. Jung went 2-for-5 with an RBI in his return Saturday and drove in two more with a fifth-inning single Sunday. He hit .294 with an .802 OPS across 92 games before the injury.

Chris Young Targets Thursday For Joc Pederson Without Committing

Young had not talked with Pederson on Monday. Texas opens a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday at Globe Life Field, and Boston has left-hander Patrick Sandoval (1-5, 4.58 ERA) scheduled to start the opener.

“That said, we’re hopeful we avoided a catastrophe with Joc in terms of a broken bone, but you just don’t know,” Young added. “It’s going to take a couple more days, I think, for this thing to kind of calm down. We are facing left-handed pitching the next couple days, and so there won’t be many opportunities for Joc.”

“My hope is that we can get this right,” Young noted. “The swelling will calm down, and he’ll be back in the lineup hopefully by Thursday, but I can’t commit to that fully, especially on an off day where we haven’t talked to him.”

Joc Pederson’s Injured List Window Closes Wednesday

To backdate a 10-day injured list placement to Sunday, Texas would have to make the move by Wednesday, Grant reported. A placement dated Sunday would set Pederson’s earliest return at Sept. 23.

The Rangers recalled outfielder Alejandro Osuna from Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday and optioned infielder/outfielder Cam Cauley, a move made with Pederson’s status unresolved.

Pederson missed two months last season after a pitch fractured his right hand in May. He batted .181/.285/.328 with 9 home runs and 26 RBIs in 96 games that year, his first in Texas. He signed a two-year, $37 million contract before the 2025 season that includes a mutual option for 2027.

At 74-76, the Rangers are one game behind the Houston Astros in the American League West and two games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the third American League wild card. Twelve games remain, all but three of them at Globe Life Field.

First pitch Tuesday is 7:05 p.m. CT on Rangers Sports Network. The Toronto Blue Jays visit for three games beginning Friday.