Rangers Should Give Malcolm Moore Any Opportunity to Improve This Spring

The Texas Rangers drafted Malcolm Moore with their first-round pick, a college catcher with a solid pedigree that addressed a key area of thin organizational depth.

Nearly two years later, catching depth is still thin and Texas is waiting for Moore to show signs of moving forward.

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On Monday the Rangers carried Moore with them to Tempe, Ariz., for their spring training game with the Los Angeles Angels. Texas gave him a pinch hit at bat late in the game for Jose Herrera, a catcher who was serving as the designated hitter. Moore went 0-for-1.

Moore isn't on the Rangers Major League spring training roster because he hasn't shown enough progress yet to justify it. That's a concern for a player who spent three seasons at Stanford and was believed to have the chops to progress steadily. As he enters 2026, the Rangers would be wise to give him chances when they can to prove himself before he’s fully committed to minor league camp.

What’s Held Malcolm Moore Back?

The Texas Rangers logo painted on the turf behind home plate at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Rangers invited Moore to Major League spring training last year, but that's standard practice for the previous year's first round pick. After he was selected in the first round, he spent time with the Arizona Complex League Rangers and High-A Hickory, where he slashed a combined .209/.298/.374 with three home runs and 15 Rbi in 25 games. Last season was supposed to be the year he took a big step.

Injuries derailed him. He ended up on the injured list in mid-April and didn’t return until late June. With the ACL Rangers and High-A Hub City he slashed a combined .195/.300/.276 with three home runs and 27 RBI in 62 games.

Texas sent him to the Arizona Fall League to get more at-bats. His bat struggled there, too. He slashed .213/.275/.328 with one home run and eight RBI. Moore needs a healthy 2026, a bounce-back bat and at least one promotion. Fortunately, there isn’t much pressure on him.

The Rangers have veteran coverage this season with Kyle Higashioka and Danny Jansen as the expected catchers. Higashioka is a free agent after this season, but Jansen is signed through 2027, giving Texas some stability as they try to put that puzzle together next offseason.

Texas isn't expecting more to be ready to help them next spring training. But if he's able to land an invitation to Major League spring training in 2027, that would represent significant progress for a player the Rangers desperately need to become an option behind the plate.