The Unusual Suspects Behind the Rangers’ Hot Streak

Texas Rangers’ Hot Streak Fueled by Unsung Heroes

Ezequiel Duran

Duran is the most familiar player of the bunch, and he was expected to just be a bench bat, as he has been most of his career. He just hit .246 with three homers in 2024. He didn’t get off to a great start in 2025, he was hitting .148 before the month of August. Then he turned into a different player. Over the last 30 games, he has a .318 batting average with a .348 on-base percentage and a .400 slugging percentage. He has played great defense at second in place of Semien. 

Michael Helman

Helman was a waiver-wire add earlier in the year and spent time between Triple-A Round Rock and the Rangers. He has been with the team since August 23, when Sam Haggerty went on the IL. His stats don’t pop off the page with a .238 batting average, a .289 on-base percentage, and a .524 slugging percentage. He has brought energy to the team by flying around the bases and has launched three home runs. 

Cody Freeman 

Freeman is a guy who tore up the minor leagues ,forcing the Rangers to call him up. He has brought a lot of energy to the clubhouse, getting hyped up when he or another teammate makes a play. That energy has been infectious, as the Rangers have been showing more emotion lately and seem to be having more fun. 

Alejandro Osuna 

Osuna is another guy like Freeman who was great in the minor leagues and gave the team no other choice but to call him up. He has had mixed results, but has had his moments where he has come big and delivered, such as his recent two-run single against the Arizona Diamondbacks to give the Rangers a 10-inning win. He hasn’t set the world on fire, but he has helped the team when he can. 

Dustin Harris

The Rangers called up Harris on Friday, so he hasn’t been with the team long. He would deliver later that night, as he had a walk-off single to give them the win over the Astros. This is the mentality that the Rangers have had with players being next man up. 

Outlook

The Rangers sit 1 1/2 games back of the Seattle Mariners for the final wild card spot and 4 games back of the Astros for the division lead. They have one more series against the Astros, which will loom large. They are now facing off against the Milwaukee Brewers as they look to continue their good play. Texas opened the series with a 5-0 win Monday night.