Rangers Rally

5 Rangers To Watch Down the Stretch

It’s crunch time. With 30 regular season games remaining, the Texas Rangers have a 0.5 game lead on the Houston Astros in the AL West and remain heavily in the wildcard mix. They have plenty to play for with two feasible routes to the postseason, but they will have to outlast a number of AL teams that are also an arm’s length from playoff positioning.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. If the Rangers are to make the postseason, most desirably as a division champ, they’ll need to play their best ball down the stretch. And it starts with these five players.

1. Wyatt Langford

Teams often go as their best players go. The Rangers in August have averaged 2.9 runs/game, the fewest of any month this season. Langford in August has a slashed .145/.289/.261 with a .550 OPS, his lowest of any month this season.

During the Rangers’ best month of the season in which they went 16-11 in June and averaged 4.18 runs/game, Langford had his best offensive month, slashing .317/.371/.634 with a 1.005 OPS.

He is the team’s most dynamic player, possessing great power and speed, and generating elite exit velocities. But he’s been streaky at the plate throughout the year. Consistency is the goal; however, the Rangers will take a streaky end to a streaky regular season from Langford, as long as that streaky end is hot.

Imagine a top of the order with Langford and Corey Seager firing at the same time. That’s a tandem to be reckoned with. That’s a tandem that can carry a team to the playoffs. Seager has found his form. Now, we’re waiting (rather impatiently) for Langford to regain his.

2. Jacob deGrom

deGrom declined to waive his no-trade clause ahead of the August 3rd trade deadline to remain with the Texas Rangers. Why? Because he believes this team can win and wants to help them win a World Series.

You have to love his passion, commitment, and belief. It’s exactly what every fan, teammate, and coach want from a standout player.

Poetic justice would have the Rangers at least making the playoffs following such a selfless act from their start pitcher. Win the World Series at the back of deGrom and we’ll have documentaries reflecting back on his renowned loyalty.

One can certainly dream, but the reality is Texas needs deGrom to pitch like an ace through September if they want to play in October. He’s coming off one of his best outings of the season in which he gave up no runs on one hit across six innings and struck out 10 (and recorded his 2,000th career strikeout). The start prior, however, he threw just two innings in a 7-0 loss to the Angels.

His 2026 season consists of many peaks and valleys, but if he can close strong, the Rangers’ chances of reaching the postseason certainly improve. The Rangers signed him with the expectation that he’d pitch in meaningful games, and he chose to stay a Ranger with the intention of winning meaningful games. Let’s see it happen!

3. Ezequiel Duran

Duran has shone brightly in 2026. He leads the team in WAR and is top three in hits, RBI, stolen bases, batting average, and at-bats. He has been healthy, consistent, and versatile – a blend of characteristics that few Rangers have exuded this season.

The message to Duran in the final 30 regular season games: keep up the great work.

He will be vital down the stretch, lengthening a Rangers lineup that lacks depth and maneuvering all across the field on defense to support manager Skip Schumaker’s plug-and-play style.

On Sunday, Duran got his first start in center field, making it the seventh position he’s played this season. Playing center allowed the Rangers to put forth their best offensive lineup against a left-handed starting pitcher, resulting in a 5-3 win over the Angels in which Duran reached based twice and knocked a home run over the left field wall. Once again, he was “The Solution”.

If the Rangers are to fulfill their postseason aspirations, Duran will have to maintain his reliability and output all the way to the end. He’s the type of player that can get a team the two or three more wins needed to reach the playoffs.

4. Jack Leiter

Leiter completed his second rehab start last Thursday and is nearing a return to the big league club. The question lingers, will he return as a starter or reliever?

With Nathan Eovaldi on the injured list and his timetable up in the air, Leiter will likely fill the rotation void. Though, the Rangers may have designs for Leiter as a middle reliever to close the season.

Schumaker has leaned on his relievers in short spurts. Jacob Latz, the Texas closer, leads the current relief staff in innings pitched per appearance at 1.25. Peyton Gray and Jakob Junis occasionally throw more than an inning per appearance, but it’s safe to say the Rangers have not had a go-to multi-inning reliever for much of the year. That’s where Leiter could prove valuable.

Especially in the home stretch where the starting rotation is thin and starters have more and more innings behind them, September may demand extra from the relief corps.

Two-to-three innings of max effort Jack Leiter could be special. He has the power arm and wipe out stuff. If he commands his pitches then opposing hitters will have a devil of a time getting the best of him in their likely one opportunity.

Leiter could finish the regular season as a starter or reliever, or both. Regardless, he will be key to the Rangers’ push to the postseason. Hopefully, we’ll reflect on his September performance with satisfaction.

5. Deadline Acquisitions

The Rangers did very little prior to the August trade deadline, but one move they did make was acquiring reliever Chase Silseth and catcher Logan O’Hoppe from the Angels.

Silseth has already made 12 appearances with the Rangers since being acquired on July 29th, pitching to a 2.61 ERA and 154 ERA+. Schumaker has gone to Silseth as a set up man in his last three outings, in which he’s thrown 2.1 innings allowing no runs and securing two holds. The Rangers won all three games.

O’Hoppe made his Rangers debut on Sunday as a DH, singling to left in his first at-bat and going on to score the team’s second run of the game. He went 1-for-2 before being lifted for pinch hitter Joc Pederson.

Texas planned to take it slow with O’Hoppe, initially sending him to Triple A to get ample reps at and behind the plate. Across 18 games with the Round Rock Express, he slashed .292/.386/.556 with three home runs and a .942 OPS. Desperate for offensive help, the Rangers promoted his hot bat to the big leagues.

It’s difficult to predict what role O’Hoppe will play for the remainder of the season. He is one of three catchers on the 26-man roster, and the Rangers have shown little faith in his catching abilities. If he is restricted to DH, will he get enough at-bats to justify staying up with the big league club? It will surely come down to “if he hits, he stays”.

Texas acquired these guys for a reason. O’Hoppe projected more as a long-term project, though management likely saw a more immediate path for him to contribute. The Rangers threw Silseth into the deep end right away.

If they can provide the boost that General Manager Chris Young intended, it may be just enough to inch the Rangers into the playoffs. And at this rate, inching is about the most we can expect.

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