RADIO
Joc Pederson on the Free-Agent Market
Texas Rangers outfielder/designated hitter Joc Pederson turned down his end of a mutual $18.5 million 2027 option, a source told Jesse Rogers of ESPN. Pederson will now become a free agent (without a buyout) after signing a two-year, $37 million deal with the Rangers. The 34-year-old veteran left-handed slugger hit .235 with 26 home runs and 53 RBI in 136 games for Texas in 2026 but did not play after Sept. 12, when he fractured his left wrist when he was hit by a fastball from Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Pfaadt. It was a nice bounce-back season for Pederson after he hit just .181/.285/.328 with a .614 OPS, only nine home runs, 26 RBI, 28 runs scored, and two stolen bases in 96 games played in his first year with the Rangers in 2025. The two-time All-Star has plenty of pop in his lumber still, but his lack of success against left-handers and his defensive shortcomings as an outfielder will severely limit his value on the open market, with a lockout inevitable on Dec. 1. Pederson might be waiting for a while before finding a new team for the 2027 season.
Source: ESPN.com - Jesse Rogers
Source: ESPN.com - Jesse Rogers
Evan Carter to Miss Start of 2027 Season After Hip Surgery
Texas Rangers outfielder Evan Carter (hip) had arthroscopic surgery on his right hip last week to address a labral injury and a hip impingement, president of baseball operations Chris Young told Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. Carter will not be ready for the start of the 2027 season. Carter played 141 games in 2026 and made all 112 of his defensive starts in center field. The 24-year-old left-handed hitter's hip likely bothered him for much of the year, which contributed to him hitting a lowly .194 (76-for-391) with nine home runs, 40 RBI, 17 stolen bases, 52 runs scored, and a 25.1% strikeout rate in 455 plate appearances in his fourth year in the big leagues. The Rangers expect Carter to play the majority of next season, but he is facing a recovery period of around six months. Carter made his MLB debut in September of 2023 and helped the Rangers win their first-ever World Series championship that fall while hitting .306 with five homers and 12 RBI in 23 games, but he played in only 108 of a possible 324 games the following two seasons due to injuries, and he has quickly developed an injury-prone label as well as struggling against left-handed pitching.
Source: MLB.com - Kennedi Landry
Source: MLB.com - Kennedi Landry
Sebastian Walcott Working Out in the Outfield
Texas Rangers infield prospect Sebastian Walcott has been working out in the outfield and will likely play the outfield in an Arizona Fall League game, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Walcott missed a significant chunk of the 2026 season after undergoing internal brace surgery on his elbow last February. However, he made it back for the end of the year and mashed, hitting .322/.398/.586 with nine home runs, 20 RBI, 44 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases across 171 plate appearances at Double-A. The 20-year-old is widely considered one of the best prospects in all of baseball. He's mostly played on the left side of the infield, but Texas has Corey Seager and Josh Jung locked in at shortstop and third base. If Walcott is able to prove he can be effective in the outfield, he could be in the mix for an Opening Day role in Texas in 2027.
Source: The Dallas Morning News - Evan Grant
Source: The Dallas Morning News - Evan Grant
Josh Jung Doesn't Need Hand Surgery
Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (hand) will not require surgery on his fractured right hand, according to MLB.com's Kennedi Landry. It is good news for Jung after he fractured his hand in the final week of the season in late September, when he was hit by a pitch. The 28-year-old continued to be injury-prone in 2026 in his fifth year in the majors, playing in only 104 games. But when Jung was available to the Rangers, he was extremely consistent, hitting .299 (119-for-398) with 12 home runs, 42 RBI, 54 runs scored, and one stolen base across 444 plate appearances. Jung was a first-time All-Star in 2023 in his first full year in the major leagues, but he has been a disappointment since, often finding himself on the injured list and never playing more than 131 games in a season (he played just 46 in 2024). His inability to stay healthy and his lack of power in the last few seasons have definitely lowered his fantasy baseball appeal, but he showed in 2026 that he can still hit for average.
Source: MLB.com - Kennedi Landry
Source: MLB.com - Kennedi Landry
Corey Seager has Bone Spur Removed From his Elbow
Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (elbow) had a minor procedure to remove a bone spur in his right elbow on Tuesday, according to Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. Seager battled through a right-elbow issue for months, and now we have some more specifics. The 32-year-old veteran has dealt with plenty of injuries over the last two seasons and has become a big injury risk as he heads into his age-33 campaign in 2027. The mounting injuries took a toll on Seager as a hitter this year, as he finished his 12th year in the big leagues with a .227/.312/.424 slash line in 102 games played and 436 plate appearances. It was the second straight season with exactly 102 regular-season games played for the Rangers due to injuries. Seager still managed to reach the 20-home run mark, though, for the fifth straight year, and he drove in 51 runs. With better health next year, Seager could bounce back and be more consistent at the plate, but the injury risk is very real. Unless he suffers a setback with his elbow in the offseason, Seager should have plenty of time to get ready for the start of the 2027 regular season.
Source: MLB.com - Kennedi Landry
Source: MLB.com - Kennedi Landry
Corey Seager Could Undergo Minor Surgery on Elbow
Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said that shortstop Corey Seager (elbow) has been dealing with a bone spur in his elbow that could require offseason surgery, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. Landry reports that the team is still talking through options, and that Seager would be expected to be fully ready for 2027 Spring Training even if surgery is eventually required. The 32-year-old had a down year by his lofty standards, hitting .227/.312/.424 with 20 home runs, 51 RBI, 57 runs scored, and two stolen bases across 436 plate appearances. In addition to playing through the elbow injury, Seager missed time in 2026 due to back issues and a concussion. If Seager can get fully healthy over the offseason, he could be primed for a bounce-back campaign in 2027.
Source: MLB.com - Kennedi Landry
Source: MLB.com - Kennedi Landry
Josh Jung Has Fractured Hand
Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (hand) suffered a fractured right hand, according to X-rays after an early removal from Friday's game. A pitch hit the 28-year-old in the first inning of a pivotal game against Minnesota, and the testing later confirmed the injury. He will miss time while he heals, ending his 2026 season on a sour note. Still, despite battling multiple injuries all season, he will finish with a .299 batting average and 12 home runs over 104 games. While nothing has been confirmed, it would appear that he will be ready for Spring Training next season. He remains in the mix for late-round fantasy upside heading into 2027, with the potential for more should he be able to stay healthy. That said, his draft price will surely take his extensive injury history into account.
Source: Evan Grant
Source: Evan Grant
Josh Jung Removed After Getting Hit by a Pitch
Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (hand) was removed from Friday's game against the Minnesota Twins. Jung was taken out of the game after getting hit by a pitch on the hand, Kennedi Landry reports. He remained in the game to run the bases and play the field, but Jung was removed for a pinch-hitter once his spot in the batting order came up again. Before being removed, Jung went hitless with a run scored. The assumption is that Jung will undergo X-rays to determine the severity of the injury. Cody Freeman would likely see more starts at third base if Jung is forced to miss any time. Fantasy managers should check back on Saturday for another update on Jung.
Source: Kennedi Landry
Source: Kennedi Landry
Joc Pederson Placed on 10-Day Injured List
Texas Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson (hand) has been placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to September 19) due to a fracture in his left hand. The 34-year-old had been attempting to play through the injury, but it appears that he and the team ultimately came to the conclusion that a trip to the IL was necessary. Pederson bounced back from a brutal 2025 campaign with a solid year at the plate in 2026, hitting .235/.329/.487 with 26 home runs, 53 RBI, 56 runs scored, and two stolen bases. The veteran lefty slugger re-established himself as an excellent source of big-side platoon power, posting an 11.2% barrel rate and a 50.7% hard-hit rate. With Pederson now sidelined through at least the remainder of the regular season, Texas has rotated shortstop Corey Seager and backup catcher Elias Diaz through its DH spot.
Source: Texas Rangers
Source: Texas Rangers
Brandon Nimmo Returns From Illness on Tuesday
Texas Rangers outfielder Brandon Nimmo (illness) is starting in right field and batting fifth on Tuesday against the visiting New York Mets and left-hander Sean Manaea, according to MLB.com. Nimmo is feeling good enough to play on Tuesday against his old team after a scheduled day off on Monday. The 33-year-old has not lived up to expectations in his first season with the Rangers in 2026, slashing .260/.325/.407 with a .732 OPS, 14 home runs, 61 RBI, 61 runs scored, and seven stolen bases across his 570 at-bats after reaching the 20-homer mark in his final three seasons with the Mets, including a career-high 25 round-trippers in 2025. The former first-rounder in 2011 has slumped in the final month of the regular season, too, going 15-for-66 (.227) with zero home runs, four doubles, eight RBI, five runs scored, six walks, and 22 strikeouts in 17 games in September. Nimmo will attempt to turn things around in the final week of the season and try to help Texas win the American League West division. He has actually hit much better against lefties this year, going 59-for-179 (.330) against them with five of his 14 homers on the year.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Josh Jung a Worthy Waiver-Wire Target Amid Current Hot Streak
Across 431 plate appearances in 2026, Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung is hitting .295/.360/.450 with 11 home runs, 39 RBI, 52 runs scored, and one stolen base. After suffering a calf injury in late July, Jung missed almost two months' worth of action. However, the 28-year-old has hit well since returning to the Rangers lineup on September 12. Across his last 35 plate appearances, Jung is hitting .303 with two home runs, four RBI, and six runs scored. Jung has posted a career-best 48.7% hard-hit rate in 2026 while also dropping his strikeout rate to a career-low 18.1%. In fantasy leagues where he's not already rostered, Jung could be worth targeting on the waiver wire for the final week of the 2026 season.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
MacKenzie Gore Scheduled to Start on Tuesday
The Texas Rangers announced on Monday that left-hander MacKenzie Gore (shoulder, back) is scheduled to make his next start on Tuesday against the New York Mets. Gore has checked out fine over the last few days and will be good to take the hill this week against the Mets after he dealt with some spasms in his upper back/shoulder area in his last start last Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox, when he went just four innings and threw 69 pitches. The matchup against New York is a good one as the Rangers seek to hold off the Houston Astros for the American League West title in the final week of the regular season, but Gore also carries significant risk coming off his injury last week. If the Rangers are still battling for a playoff spot this weekend, Gore could pitch in the final game of the regular season on Sunday against the Minnesota Twins, too. The 27-year-old southpaw has gone 8-11 this year with a career-high 4.67 ERA (3.89 FIP) and 1.35 WHIP with 172 strikeouts and 69 walks in 165 2/3 innings across 32 starts. Gore has allowed at least three earned runs with nine walks and only three strikeouts in his last three starts against the Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Tampa Bay Rays.
Source: Texas Rangers PR
Source: Texas Rangers PR
Cal Quantrill Headed to Injured List with Lat Strain
Texas Rangers right-hander Cal Quantrill (lat) is being placed on the 15-day injured list with a lat strain, per Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News. Quantrill was removed in the second inning of his start on Saturday after feeling tightness in the lat. The 31-year-old has had a surprisingly excellent season for the Rangers in 2026, recording a 9-5 record with a 2.86 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 81 strikeouts across 110 innings. Quantrill opened the year in a bulk relief role, but he was moved into the rotation in late June and has thrived ever since. Given the timing of Quantrill's injury, he will miss the remainder of the regular season and may not be available if the Rangers make it to the postseason. Without Quantrill, Texas left-hander Jordan Montgomery could move from the bullpen into the rotation.
Source: Dallas Morning News - Shawn McFarland
Source: Dallas Morning News - Shawn McFarland
Brandon Nimmo Out Sick on Sunday
Texas Rangers outfielder Brandon Nimmo (illness) is out of the lineup due to an illness on Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays, according to the team. Alejandro Osuna is starting in right field for Texas and will bat fifth against Blue Jays right-hander Spencer Miles. The Rangers have a scheduled day off on Monday, so there is a good chance that Nimmo will be feeling good enough to return for Tuesday's series opener at home against the New York Mets. Nimmo has been more of a disappointment overall in 2026 in his first year in Texas after 10 seasons with the New York Mets, as he entered play on Sunday with a .260/.325/.407 slash line with a .732 OPS, 14 home runs, 61 RBI, 61 runs scored, and seven stolen bases in 149 games played across 631 plate appearances. He has been particularly ineffective in 17 games so far this month, going 15-for-66 (.227) with zero homers, eight RBI, six walks, and 22 strikeouts.
Source: Texas Rangers
Source: Texas Rangers
Cal Quantrill Removed with Lat Tightness
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cal Quantrill (lat) exited early during Saturday's outing against the Toronto Blue Jays. Quantrill was pulled out in the second inning due to right lat tightness, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports. He was able to record four outs before exiting this contest. Jordan Montgomery took over on the mound and threw 3.2 scoreless innings. Quantrill figures to undergo an MRI, so fantasy managers will likely have to wait for the results on that. Nathan Eovaldi could be asked to move back into the starting rotation if Quantrill is forced to miss time. UPDATE: The Dallas Morning News' Shawn McFarland reports that Quantrill will undergo an MRI exam on Sunday morning, per manager Skip Schumaker.
Source: Kennedi Landry
Source: Kennedi Landry
