Rangers’ Bruce Bochy shares latest Joc Pederson update

The Texas Rangers are over halfway through another disappointing season. Since winning the 2023 World Series, they missed the 2024 playoffs and are under .500 in 2025. Part of the reason for the Rangers’ struggles this year has been Joc Pederson, who is dealing with a hand injury amid a poor year. Bruce Bochy has an update on the designated hitter, according to Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports.

“Bruce Bochy said yesterday three weeks,” Wilson said, responding to a question about Pederson’s availability. That would put his return date at Thursday, July 24.

The Rangers have been disastrous offensively this season, scoring 3.79 runs per game, the fifth-worst rate in the league. Pederson has only played 46 games, posting a .131 batting average, .507 OPS, and -0.8 bWAR before the injury. After a great year with the Diamondbacks, Pederson jumped to Arlington with high expectations. His season has been indicative of the entire year for Bochy’s squad.

The Rangers have gotten great performances from their starting pitchers, specifically Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi. With those two veteran aces and a decent bullpen, Texas could make a second-half surge. Pederson needs to be a big part of the answer, as some of their young players struggle.

On Thursday, the Rangers start a ten-game road trip that rolls right into the All-Star Break. They visit the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels, and Houston Astros, and need a lot of wins to get into the race. Without Pederson, that is going to be much harder. They are falling way behind as a big pack competes for the AL Wild Card spots.

Pederson signed a two-year deal with the Rangers last offseason, which includes a player option for 2026. He is almost guaranteed to pick that up with a disastrous season under his belt. But maybe he can shock the world and lead Texas to the playoffs with a great August.