Rangers Roundup: Change is a Comin'
The winds of change are blowing, hopefully towards some more runs.
Welcome back to the Rangers Roundup, where the mood has worsened slightly with each edition.
Don’t fret! It’s not your fault, wonderful reader. The blame lies squarely with the transgressions of the baseball team that this great newsletter is about.
It’s been a tough last two and a half weeks in Rangers World, with the squad losing its last four series in quite demoralizing fashion. The latest, a series loss to the Athletics at home, featured a lone 15–2 win in which the Rangers looked unstoppable, bookended by three debilitating losses where Texas managed to score a combined two runs.
Today, we’ll cover a variety of topics. As evidenced by the title, the first major change has arrived, and we’ll dive into what it is and what it entails. There’s also a lot to talk about regarding the pitching staff, which has been so dominant through the first month of the season. Finally, we’ll briefly look ahead to the team’s upcoming series against the Mariners. Spoiler alert: it’s a big one!
Change is Here
“Hello and welcome to McDonald’s. What can I get for you today?”
“Hi, yes, I’d like to order one offense, please?”
Through 32 games in 2025, the Texas Rangers are 16–16. Let’s agree to call that first month a wash, shall we?
Seriously, though, being at .500 after a month of play, considering that the Rangers are running out a lineup that frequently produces almost zero offense, is quite impressive. There are many scenarios where the Rangers would be much closer to the bottom of the league standings rather than sitting smack dab in the middle.
Of course, there’s also a dream scenario where Texas has a competent offensive unit to pair with a pitching staff that has vastly outperformed expectations. In that version of reality, the Rangers likely find themselves near the top of the standings. Alas, that’s not where we are, and as such, the team is reaping the consequences of its offensive ineptitude.
We’ve discussed at length why this team is struggling to score runs. The walk rate is abysmal, the power is lacking (the Rangers haven’t hit a home run since Thursday, by the way), and the team’s chase rate is among the worst in baseball. There are other factors too, none larger than the fact that the team hasn’t been fully healthy for more than what feels like a day at a time. Josh Jung missed a week with a neck sprain, followed by Wyatt Langford landing on the IL for a stretch. As soon as he returned, Corey Seager went down with a right hamstring strain.
Of course, those aren’t excuses. Even without those players, this team should be scoring more than one or two runs a game.
So, what’s the solution? Is it patience? Is it panic? Well, with the news breaking yesterday evening that the Rangers are planning to send Jake Burger, the team’s struggling first baseman, currently slashing a measly .190/.231/.330 (.561 OPS), to Triple-A Round Rock for a “reset,” the answer is clear: it’s somewhere in the middle.
By sending Burger down and calling up Blaine Crim to make his MLB debut and take Burger’s spot, the Rangers are banking on a few things. First, they haven’t lost hope in Burger’s ability to contribute to this roster. While the results haven’t been there, the underlying process appears to be consistent with past seasons. A week or two in Round Rock should provide Burger with a lower-pressure environment to reset mentally and return to being the player the coaching staff and front office believe he can be.
Still, Chris Young has repeatedly said that this is a results-driven business, and Burger’s current performance doesn’t cut it. While his demotion came as a bit of a shock, Crim’s call-up was not. Crim has been a consistent performer in the minors, boasting a .296/.372/.507 (.879 OPS) slash line over his MiLB career. He’s started this season strong, slashing .313/.365/.565 (.930 OPS) with seven home runs and 25 RBIs through 28 games in Triple-A. His promotion is well deserved, and I’m excited to see how he performs in the majors.
Burger’s demotion and Crim’s promotion aren’t a cure-all, and I think Young knows that. This is just the first of potentially several moves to jumpstart the offense. Evan Carter’s return to Arlington could also be on the horizon. The young left-handed outfielder has finally found some consistency at the plate down in Triple-A. Due to lingering back issues, the Rangers had been cautious with his usage, avoiding back-to-back games throughout the first month of the season. But recently, he’s played in six of the last seven games and performed well.
He also got his first hit off a left-handed pitcher this season a couple of days ago—so that’s progress!
Back in 2023, Carter’s call-up essentially saved the Rangers’ season. I’m not exaggerating — players on that team called him their “little savior.” While I don’t believe his return this time around will have quite the same seismic effect as it did during the championship run, I do believe a fully healthy and locked-in Carter would be a major boost to the lineup. At his best, he’s a fantastic hitter and a strong defender. Let’s just hope he stays on his current trajectory so he can be back in Arlington soon.
What will this lineup look like with Crim — and potentially Carter — added, along with a healthy Seager? I’m not completely sure. My guess is that Carter would bat lower in the order — maybe even in the 9-hole — as a sort of second leadoff hitter. If Crim makes an immediate impact, I could see him batting near the top to inject some power into the lineup. And Seager, of course, will hit second or third and remain the team’s best hitter without question.
Regardless of who’s in the lineup or where they’re hitting, the goal remains the same: score runs.
Pitching Excellence
There’s not much more to say, but it bears repeating: the Rangers’ starting pitching has been outstanding in 2025. Just take a look at the past week and change:
April 24 – Jacob deGrom: 5 1/3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER
April 25 – Nathan Eovaldi: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER
April 26 – Tyler Mahle: 5 IP, 8 H, 2 ER
April 27 – Jack Leiter: 3 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER
April 28 – Patrick Corbin: 4 2/3 IP, 7 H, 2 ER
April 29 – Jacob deGrom: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER
April 30 – Nathan Eovaldi: 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER
May 1 – Tyler Mahle: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER
Every starter over the past eight days has allowed two or fewer earned runs. Four of those starts went six innings. The combined ERA for the starters over that stretch is 2.13. Fantastic numbers all around. But what’s not fantastic? The team’s record in those games: 2–6. Ouch.
The pitching staff deserves better. It’s got to be frustrating to deliver quality start after quality start and still come up short on the scoreboard. As always, it circles back to the offense — and that’s a shame.
On a brighter note, Tyler Mahle was named the Rangers' Player of the Month for March/April. He’s posted a stellar 1.19 ERA over 37 2/3 innings so far this season. It’s one of the best season starts by a Rangers pitcher in recent memory. Props to Mahle! Now, if only he could get a few more wins to go along with it.
Up Next
The division-leading Seattle Mariners arrive in Arlington tonight for a critical series. As of 1:40 PM CDT on Friday, here’s how the AL West standings look:
Seattle Mariners
Houston Astros
Oakland Athletics
Texas Rangers
Los Angeles Angels
The Rangers were in first place just a week ago. Wild.
After dropping four straight series, the Rangers must come away with some big wins against the Mariners. Unfortunately, Seattle boasts a stellar pitching staff and an offense that’s come alive over the past two weeks. It won’t be easy, but it has to be done. Victory at all costs, as they say.
Here are the projected pitching matchups for this weekend’s series:
Friday: (TEX) Jack Leiter (2–0, 2.03 ERA) vs. (SEA) Bryan Woo (3–1, 3.09 ERA)
Saturday: (TEX) Patrick Corbin (2–1, 3.79 ERA) vs. (SEA) Luis Castillo (3–2, 3.62 ERA)
Sunday: (TEX) Jacob deGrom (1–1, 2.73 ERA) vs. (SEA) Logan Evans (1–0, 3.60 ERA)
I said it Monday, and I’ll say it again: Let’s go win a series, dang it.