The Rangers had been dealt a significant harm blow immediately when DH Joc Pederson was hit by a pitch on this night’s loss to the White Sox. Pederson initially stayed within the sport however was later lifted for a pinch-hitter. Supervisor Bruce Bochy revealed to reporters (together with Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News) that Pederson suffered a fracture in his proper hand when he was struck by the pitch. Pederson instructed reporters, including McFarland, that he expects a restoration timeline of six weeks for the harm.
It’s a blow to a Rangers membership that has already struggled to remain wholesome this yr. Pederson will now be a part of Corey Seager and Evan Carter on the shelf from the membership’s lineup, along with accidents suffered by reliever Chris Martin and starters Kumar Rocker, Jon Gray, and Cody Bradford. These accidents have contributed to Texas’s struggles this yr, as they’ve posted a lackluster 25-28 report that’s left them three video games out of a Wild Card spot and 5 video games out of the AL West. With Josh Smith overlaying for Seager at shortstop and Sam Haggerty holding down heart discipline rather than Carter, the Rangers will doubtless be compelled to get artistic with changing Pederson.
One possibility might be first baseman Blaine Crim, who did not report successful in a five-game cup of espresso earlier this yr however sports activities a .301/.369/.558 slash line in Triple-A this yr. One other might be outfielder Dustin Harris, who has a 104 wRC+ in 45 journeys to the plate on the huge league degree and is the membership’s solely left-handed hitter already on the 40-man roster at Triple-A. Harris might be a very enticing possibility if the Rangers want to persevering with beginning backup catcher Kyle Higashioka at DH towards left-handed pitchers, a job which the membership is already carrying third catcher Tucker Barnhart in an effort to accommodate on a extra common foundation.
Turning again to Pederson, it should be acknowledged that for nevertheless a lot shedding his offensive prowess from the lineup could sting on paper he hasn’t delivered a lot manufacturing in his first season with the group. Signed to a two-year, $37MM assure over the winter, Pederson has hit a paltry .132/.266/.240 (51 wRC+) in 144 plate appearances up to now within the season. That’s hardly manufacturing a membership will miss from their lineup, nevertheless it’s unlucky timing nonetheless giving that Pederson had simply begun to look extra like his regular self on the plate: he’s hitting .220/.429/.444 with 4 extra-base hits and an eye-popping 26.5% stroll fee over his final 16 video games.
The Rangers can solely hope that he’ll be capable of decide again up proper the place he left off when he returns to motion later this summer season. A six week timetable would depart him poised to return in early July, shortly earlier than the All-Star break. Tough as his begin to the 2025 marketing campaign was, it goes with out saying that Pederson is usually a dynamic addition to nearly any lineup when wholesome; whereas he virtually completely performs towards right-handed pitching, the slugger slashed a superb .262/.365/.485 with a wRC+ of 135 and 61 homers in 387 video games over his final three seasons. That’s the Sixteenth-best wRC+ amongst all hitters with no less than 1000 plate appearances in that span, sandwiched between Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Jose Ramirez on the leaderboard. If Pederson can provide that type of manufacturing to the Rangers within the second half, it ought to be simple for followers to neglect his first-half struggles and harm woes as long as Texas hasn’t already fallen out of the playoff dialog earlier than he returns.
