Texas Rangers Veteran Outfielder Could Be ‘Dark Horse’ To Make Opening Day Roster

Could a new addition make the Opening Day roster for the Texas Rangers?

Sep 25, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Los Angeles Angels outfielder Kevin Pillar (12) flips his bat after being called out on strikes during the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

With spring training underway for the Texas Rangers, they recently added some more depth before the start of the campaign.

The Rangers are coming into the 2025 season looking to bounce back from a frustrating year in 2024.

Injuries were the main storyline for the Rangers last season, but this is a team that is now healthy and talented heading into the new campaign.

This winter, Texas was able to make a couple of moves to help sustain the roster as a playoff contender. In the lineup, the two notable moves were to bring in designated hitter Joc Pederson and first baseman Jake Burger.

Due to the decision to trade Nathaniel Lowe to the Washington Nationals for help in the bullpen, adding Burger was a need. However, the addition of Pederson is an exciting one considering his ability to hit right-handed pitching at an elite level.

However, the Rangers recently decided that they weren’t done just yet. On Sunday, the team signed a veteran outfielder to a minor league deal. Now, he will be trying to make the team.

Kennedi Landry of MLB.com recently spoke about veteran outfielder Kevin Pillar being a potential dark horse candidate to make the roster on Opening Day.

Despite appearing like he was going to be hanging up the cleats after the 2024 season, Pillar has decided to shelve the retirement talk for now.

Now, while there is no guarantee that he will make the roster, the veteran outfielder is feeling good after an offseason thumb surgery and is looking forward to playing baseball.

In his 12-year career, he has slashed 255/.293/.406 with 114 home runs and 108 stolen bases. While the slugging numbers have never jumped off the page for Pillar, he has always been a good defender and hits left-handed pitching well.

When looking at what he has done in his career against southpaws, the Rangers’ interest makes sense. Pillar has slashed 281/.312/.464 against lefties and could be used to help platoon with Leody Taveras and or Evan Carter.

The lineup for Texas is very strong overall, but they do have some issues when it comes to hitting pitching of the same side.

Depth is always a welcomed sight on a team and that is what Pillar could potentially bring. Even though the outfielder is strong on paper, adding the veteran into the fold could help them against left-handed pitching, which is currently a bit of a weakness.

Overall, Pillar will have to prove himself this spring, but he is certainly capable of making the team.