Jake Burger Led Uneven First Base Production for Rangers During 2025 Season

Primary Starter: Jake Burger (97 G, .236/.269/.419, .687 OPS, 16 HR, 53 RBI, 15 2B, 1 3B, 43 R, 1 SB). Other Significant Contributor: Rowdy Tellez (38 G, .259/.315/.457, .772 OPS, 6 HR, 22 RBI, 5 2B, 14 R).

Six other Rangers played games at first base — Ezequiel Duran (25), Josh Smith (27), Joc Pederson (4), Blaine Crim (3), Justin Foscue (3), Dylan Moore (2)

Fielding Stats: Burger: .993 fielding percentage, 756.2 innings, 693 chances, 609 putouts, 79 assists, five errors, 50 double plays. Tellez: 1.000 fielding percentage, 255.2 inning, 213 chances, 200 putouts, 13 assists, no errors, 16 double plays.

Season Notes

Burger was supposed to bring more pop to the lineup, but he was never consistent. He was sent to Triple-A for a week in late August to reset his swing. Once he returned, his performance picked up. But so did the injuries. He had a left oblique strain in June, a left quadriceps injury in July and a left wrist sprain in August. The wrist sprain never really healed, and he had surgery after the season. He’ll be shut down until December, but the Rangers anticipate he’ll be ready for spring training.

The Rangers signed Tellez to a minor league deal after he was designated for assignment by the Seattle Mariners. He produced when Burger was unable to play and gave the offense a real boost, especially in July and August. He also played a quality first base.

Duran and Smith played more than 20 games at first base to get each in the lineup through their super-utility roles. Both proved capable first baseman even though it was not either’s primary position

Team Control/Free Agency

Jake Burger, Ezequiel Duran, Josh Smith are all entering their first years of arbitration. Tellez is a free agent.

What’s Next?

The Rangers want to get younger and less expensive. Burger, Duran and Smith will keep them younger, and their arbitration deals won’t break the bank. The key for Burger is to get healthy and get is swing back on track. He did not produce like the slugger he was in Miami, but the Rangers seem confident he can reclaim it. As for Tellez, he’ll likely get lucrative enough offers to go elsewhere. Texas may want to keep him, but at this point he’s a redundancy, roster-wise.