Texas Rangers Desperately Need New Slugger To Help Save Struggling Offense

The Texas Rangers need a key member of the offense to bounce back from a bad start quickly so, hopefully, the rest of the offense follows.

Apr 27, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Texas Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson (4) hits a double against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

After a great start to the season for the Texas Rangers, injuries are starting to mount, and they have hit a bit of a rough patch.

Following a nice start to the year, the Rangers have lost their last three series, falling into second place in the American League West.

This division is shaping up to potentially be better than expected in 2025, with four teams currently having records of .500 or better.

For Texas, they arguably have the most talented team on paper in the division, but their depth is once again being tested. Last campaign, injuries were the main reason why they finished under the .500 mark and missed the playoffs, just one year after winning the World Series.

Now, it seems that the injuries to both the starting rotation and the lineup are starting to make an impact and the Rangers have been limping the last couple of weeks.

Even before the injuries started to mount, Texas was struggling offensively to begin the season. This has been a bit puzzling with the type of talent that they have in the order, but it has been a reality throughout the batting order.

Unfortunately, some of the new additions that the franchise had high hopes for are under-performing, especially one of their most significant free agent signings this winter.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about Joc Pederson being one of the biggest busts so far for the Rangers this season.

“Pederson batted .308 against fastballs last year, but he's slugging .071 against them this year. And they're already platooning him at DH, with 64 of his 65 at-bats coming against right-handed pitchers, which is what he mashed last season," Miller wrote.

The signing of Pederson to be the designated hitter against right-handed pitchers looked like a great decision by Texas this offseason.

Even though the 33-year-old doesn’t play the field anymore, he has been a great slugger the last several years. Unfortunately, he is off to one of the worst starts in the league, slashing .101/.205/.174 without a home run and just one RBI so far.

For a player who was brought in to be a middle of the order slugger, the results are extremely poor for nearly a month.

When looking at what he was able to accomplish last year, the struggles of Pederson are a massive concern for Texas., who were relying on him to be a significant contributor.

This is a lineup that is dealing with some key injuries and having guys that are capable and healthy not performing up to expectations isn’t ideal.

With the division being better than expected, the Rangers need Pederson to get hot to avoid dropping further in the standings.