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Despite the season having some ups and downs early on for the Texas Rangers, the team has been able to weather injuries that have popped up to perform well.
After an extremely disappointing year in 2024, the Rangers had hopes of proving that they could still be a World Series contender in 2025.
So far, there have been some positive glimpses that they might be able to accomplish this, but there have also been some concerns.
Injuries continue to be a problem for the team, but they haven’t crippled them like what happened in 2024. This campaign, Texas has proven to have some quality depth, especially in the rotation.
However, while the rotation has held up its end of the bargain, the lineup for the Rangers has been really poor. Even though they made a couple of additions that figured to provide some needed power for the unit this past winter, those moves haven’t worked out quite yet.
Which Offseason Move Hasn’t Panned Out?
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the biggest regret for the Texas being their decision to sign Joc Pederson.
“Ten different players made at least six starts at designated hitter for the Rangers last season, none of whom did it more than 25 times. It's little wonder they went searching for a more permanent DH solution this offseason, giving Joc Pederson a two-year, $37M deal.”
With slugging being an issue for the team last year, the addition of Pederson made a ton of sense for Texas and looked like a great move on paper. While that might still be the case, the results so far haven’t been good.
This campaign, he has slashed .127/.259/.237 with two home runs and six RBI. Compared to last season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, these numbers are alarming poor, and Pederson has been a major reason for the struggles of the offense.
The 33-year-old mashed right-handed pitchers especially well in 2024, but his overall numbers were very strong. He slashed .275/.393/.515 with 23 home runs and 64 RBI, so the Rangers would love to see him get to that level.
Even though Pederson has been a massive disappointment, he’s not the only player on offense underperforming.
For Texas, they will be hoping that the lineup can turn things around sooner rather than later. This is a team that can certainly contend in the AL when healthy, but they need players like Pederson to be better.
After he's been able to hit a couple home runs recently, things are starting to turn around for the slugger. However, there is still a long way to go before he can be called productive.
More From Rangers On SI
More must-reads:
- Padres already demoting one of their trade-deadline acquisitions
- Yankees' unlikely answer emerges from depth chart to save season — for now
- The 'MLB playoff home run leaders' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani reaches yet another incredible milestone
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani entered Wednesday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals on the precipice of another milestone. Ohtani had recorded 999 hits in his career, an impressive number considering he continued to hit while rehabbing after a pair of elbow surgeries and the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He notched his 1,000th career hit in the third inning, belting a two-run homer off Cardinals pitcher Matthew Liberatore. While that home run temporarily gave his team a 2-1 lead, the Dodgers' bullpen failed to hold on in the 5-3 loss. Ohtani has put together an impressive season as he slowly works himself back as a starting pitcher. He has posted a .276/.381/.606 batting line in 521 plate appearances, hitting 39 homers and 15 doubles while stealing 16 bases. Ohtani also has a 2.37 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP over 19 innings, striking out 25 batters with just five walks. His 1,000th hit is another milestone in a career that is on track to end in Cooperstown. The 2018 American League Rookie of the Year, Ohtani is a five-time All-Star and three-time MVP, joining Hall of Fame outfielder Frank Robinson as the only players to win the MVP award in both leagues. He is one home run shy of his fourth season with 40 or more homers and is the only player in major league history to hit 50+ homers and steal 50+ bases in the same season. Ohtani's exploits on the mound have been equally impressive. He has reached the double-digit mark in wins twice and has struck out more than 150 batters in a season three times. Ohtani finished fourth in the 2022 AL Cy Young race after posting a 15-9 record with a 2.33 ERA and a 1.012 WHIP over 166 innings, striking out 219 batters with 44 walks. It is sure to be one of the many milestones Ohtani reaches as his career continues.
Chargers star's brutal injury shows why players should hold out with new contracts on line
Los Angeles Chargers offensive tackle Rashawn Slater was carted off the practice field on Thursday afternoon with what turned out to be a significant injury. According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, the two-time Pro Bowler suffered a season-ending knee injury. It's a massive blow to the team's offensive line and offense as a whole. It also serves as a harsh reminder as to why players will always — and should always — act on the side of caution when it comes to participating in training camp when they are seeking a new contract. In Slater's case, he's a lucky one because he just agreed to a new four-year, $114 million contract extension with $92 million in guarantees days before the injury happened. That contract was signed after he did not participate in some of the team's early training-camp practice sessions. If Slater had participated early on and had this injury happen before he was able to get his new deal signed, it would have been a devastating blow in his quest to get that pay day. Not only would the Chargers have had no incentive to pay him this season, but there is no guarantee he would have ever received that sort of contract in the future. Fans might not like the idea of a hold-out or hold-in, but you have to look at it from the perspective of the player. They have a very limited time to earn top dollar in the NFL, and there are never any guarantees. The hold-out/hold-in approach is not only a way to put pressure on the team to pay them, but it's also a matter of self-preservation. Football is a violent game. It's a physical game. It's a collision game. Injuries are always going to be a part of that. But injuries happen with much greater frequency early in the season, and especially in training camp, due to the fact that players are still working their way back into game shape and going through more intense and physical practices than they do at any point during the season. It's a dangerous time for them in terms of injuries, and that should not be overlooked when it comes to contract talks. Players have short careers and even less time to set themselves up financially. They should not be willing to take unnecessary risks when it comes to their earning power. The Slater situation shows just how delicate all of it is.
Titans rookie QB Cam Ward threw ball into skirmish with Buccaneers
A training-camp skirmish on Thursday became target practice for Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosted the Titans for a joint practice before their preseason game Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. After a scuffle broke out, Ward lobbed a ball into the melee from afar, via The Tennessean's Nick Suss. "Yeah, I had a target," Ward said while smiling after Thursday's practice. "I was trying to hit one of them boys in a red jersey. It was good. That's what football comes to. We dapped it up after practice. It ain't no big deal. Team's got my back. [It's] gonna have mine. We might have another little skirmish, but I know we're going to be together." Ward, 23, said the team told him to stay away from fights in the future to avoid a serious injury. He also doesn't need to get involved to win over the locker room when he's already doing so. Throughout the offseason, Ward has reportedly held meetings with his fellow rookies between 4:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. every day. He hasn't backed down when veterans have challenged him, either. At mandatory minicamp in June, defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons got in his face during practice. Tennessee right tackle JC Latham said the QB then head-butted the three-time Pro Bowler. The incident didn't anger the star defensive lineman. Instead, it made him respect the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. "That right there showed me we got us one," Simmons said on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" in July. Ward's clearly hard-headed, but his leadership style could be what the downtrodden franchise needs. Tennessee has won seven or fewer games for three straight seasons. In 2024, the Titans went 3-14. Ward may reignite the team. Still, he should stick to hurling passes to his teammates and not at opposing players.
George Kittle delivered powerful comment about new Packers WR that sheds light on what Green Bay saw in the player
The Green Bay Packers are not done adding wide receivers. The team drafted Matthew Golden and Savion Williams, signed Will Sheppard, but also added another rookie—Isaiah Neyor, a big-bodied, undrafted receiver who had signed with the San Francisco 49ers right after the draft. Neyor spent three months in San Francisco and had a quiet training camp, which led to the team's decision to waive him, but it was enough time to catch the attention of star tight end George Kittle. Going back to June, in an interview with Bussin' with the Boys, Kittle talked about Neyor. "He's a good kid. I like him. He's a freak. He is really tall, and I watched him running a route, he got like nine and a half yards in two strides," Kittle mentioned. "It was insane. We watched it like ten times in the tight end room. We were like, how is he doing this? It's funny." The rookie has an insane athletic profile. He's 6-4, 218 pounds, and ran a 4.43 40-yard dash. With a 9.97 incomplete Relative Athletic Score, he had elite size, explosion, and speed grades—but no agility testing information. "If you're that tall, just make plays and do well on special teams. Right?," Kittle added. "At the bare minimum, you should make the practice squad." Positional battle With two weeks of training camp gone, Isaiah Neyor will have a hard time to make the 53-man roster. The Packers have Golden, Williams, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks as locks. Veterans Mecole Hardman and Malik Heath are also ahead of the rookies. Even players like Cornelius Johnson and Julian Hicks, who spent last season on the practice squad, have a natural advantage. Christian Watson is expected to start the season on PUP, so he won't count against the 53-man for at least four weeks. However, both undrafted rookies (Neyor and Sheppard) have a real shot at making at least the practice squad. In Neyor's case, the 49ers expected him to be around—so much that they guaranteed him $259,000 as an undrafted free agent signing. But with injuries all over the wide receiver room, the Niners needed spots for veteran guys—they have players like Robbie Chosen, Russell Gage, and former Packer Equanimeous St. Brown on the 90-man roster. As a consequence, they lacked space for developmental pieces. With two drafted rookies in Jordan Watkins and Junior Bergen, Neyor became an afterthought. On the Packers, though, the rookie will have another chance to prove that George Kittle was right.
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