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Jung (groin) ran the bases Tuesday and is hoping to return to Cactus League play Thursday versus the Athletics, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Jung has been shelved since late February after being diagnosed with a Grade 1 adductor strain. When coming back from a leg injury, running the bases is typically the final hurdle one needs to clear, so Jung appears to be in a good spot to return to action and avoid a stint on the injured list. If healthy, Jung is expected to open the season as the Rangers' primary third baseman.
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Rangers' Mark Canha: Responds to competition
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Canha started in left field and went 1-for-3 with a run scored in Monday's spring game against the Padres.
Canha, who hit safely for a fourth straight Cactus League game, seemingly has responded to the Rangers' recent signing of Andrew McCutchen. The two veterans are competing for a spot as a right-handed hitting complement to Joc Pederson at designated hitter and as a depth outfielder. Canha has more recent experience in the outfield, having started 133 games there over the past three seasons compared to McCutchen's 20.
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Rangers' Andrew McCutchen: Debuts for Texas
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McCutchen started at designated hitter and went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI in Monday's spring game against San Diego.
McCutchen stepped on the field for the first time since signing a minor-league deal with the Rangers last week. The 39-year-old has a little more than two weeks to show decision-makers that he can still make an impact. The early results were hopeful, as McCutchen's two batted-ball events clocked in at more than 100 mph. Designated hitter would appear to be his best shot at hooking on with the club, as the right-handed complement to Joc Pederson.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Will not be in strict platoon
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Rangers manager Skip Schumaker indicated Monday that Smith will not be in a strict platoon at second base, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
The left-handed-hitting Smith has hit only .223/.309/.322 against lefty hurlers in his career, but Schumaker plans to give Smith some starts at the keystone versus left-handed pitching. Smith entered play Monday slashing .333/.429/.542 with one home run and a 4:5 BB:K in his first 10 Cactus League contests.
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Rangers' Evan Carter: Expected to see some reps vs. LHP
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Rangers manager Skip Schumaker indicated Monday that Carter will be given some chances to start against left-handed pitching early on in the season, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
The left-handed-hitting Carter is just 5-for-60 (.083) against left-handed pitching in his major-league career, but Schumaker likes how Carter has looked versus southpaws this spring. While it sounds like Carter will not be in a strict platoon, he will likely have to get off to a good start against lefties in order to avoid sitting versus them most days. Carter has a 1.159 OPS with two home runs and one stolen base in his first eight Cactus League contests.
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Rangers' Joc Pederson: Limited impact in spring
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Pederson, who will start at first base and bat second in Monday's game against the Padres, has gone 4-for-17 with one walk and four strikeouts through his first eight Cactus League contests.
Coming off a rough first season with Texas in which he posted a career-low .614 OPS over 305 plate appearances, Pederson decided against becoming a free agent over the winter and picked up his $18.5 million player option to remain with the Rangers for 2026, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. While Pederson is likely to maintain a regular spot in the lineup as the Rangers' primary designated hitter against right-handed pitching, he hasn't shown many early signs of reclaiming the power production that eluded him in 2025. All four of his hits so far in spring training have been singles.
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Rangers' Michel Otanez: Removed from bullpen competition
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The Rangers optioned Otanez to Triple-A Round Rock on Monday.
Otanez took himself out of contention for a spot in the Rangers' Opening Day bullpen after yielding four earned runs on four hits and one walk over 2.1 innings across his three Cactus League appearances. The 28-year-old righty will serve as a leverage arm at Round Rock to begin the season while he waits for an opening to re-emerge in the Texas bullpen.
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Rangers' Dairon Blanco: Headed to Triple-A
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The Rangers optioned Blanco to Triple-A Round Rock after claiming him off waivers from the Royals on Sunday.
The right-handed-hitting Blanco looked like a potential candidate to fill out a short-side platoon role in the Texas outfield, but he won't end up reporting to big-league camp and will instead head to Triple-A to begin the upcoming season. Though Blanco has been a near-league-average hitter over his first four MLB seasons with a 99 wRC+, he fell out of favor with the Royals in 2025, logging just eight plate appearances in the majors while mustering a middling .253/.332/.405 slash line over 77 games at Triple-A Omaha. The Rangers may want to see Blanco show some improvement as a hitter at the Triple-A level before giving him another look in the big leagues.
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Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Should return Monday
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Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Sunday that Higashioka (back) is feeling better and is expected to return to the spring lineup Monday against the Padres, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
The 35-year-old backstop was scratched from the lineup Saturday due to back spasms but is on track for a quick return to the lineup. Higashioka had a .694 OPS in 94 games last season and is expected to split playing time with Danny Jansen behind the plate for the Rangers this year.
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Rangers' Leandro Lopez: Bound for Double-A
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The Rangers optioned Lopez to Double-A Frisco on Sunday.
Texas awarded Lopez a spot on its 40-man roster over the winter after he compiled a 2.40 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 116:41 K:BB between Frisco and High-A Hub City in 2025. The 23-year-old righty will head back to Frisco to begin the upcoming campaign, but a strong start to the season could put him on track for an early promotion to Triple-A Round Rock.
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Rangers' David Davalillo: Opening season in Frisco
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The Rangers optioned Davalillo to Double-A Frisco on Sunday.
Texas added Davalillo to its 40-man roster over the winter, but the 23-year-old righty is still in need of further seasoning in the minors. He'll return to Frisco to open the upcoming campaign after logging a 2.73 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 58:17 K:BB across 56 frames in the Texas League in 2025.
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Rangers' Jordan Montgomery: Moved to 60-day IL
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The Rangers placed Montgomery (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Sunday.
The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for outfielder Dairon Blanco, whom the Rangers claimed off waivers from the Royals. The move to the 60-day IL won't affect Montgomery's return timeline, as the veteran southpaw was already expected to miss multiple months as he continues his recovery from hybrid UCL reconstruction surgery, which he underwent last April.
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Rangers' Dairon Blanco: Lands in Arlington
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The Rangers claimed Blanco off waivers from the Royals on Sunday.
Kansas City cut him loose after signing free-agent outfielder Starling Marte, but Blanco could be in decent position to secure a spot on the Rangers' Opening Day roster. A right-handed hitter with exceptional speed, Blanco could profile as an ideal short-side platoon mate for Evan Carter, a career .083 hitter versus left-handed pitching.
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Rangers' Jake Burger: Goes deep again
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Burger 1-for-2 with a walk, a home run and two RBI in Saturday's spring game against San Francisco.
Burger homered for the third consecutive game, including an exhibition contest against Team Brazil. He's officially 7-for-20 with three home runs and seven RBI through nine Cactus League contests. Burger's looking for a bounce-back season after falling to 16 home runs in 2025, a huge dropoff after he launched 63 over the prior two years combined.
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Rangers' Jacob Latz: Battles into fourth inning
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Latz allowed three runs on two hits and three walks while striking out three over 3.1 innings in Saturday's spring start against the Giants.
Latz's third Cactus League start was a grind. After an efficient 1-2-3 first inning, the left-hander needed 18 pitches for the second frame. The walks also drove up his pitch count, and by the time he started the fourth inning, Latz's velocity diminished. Per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, the Rangers have been concerned about Latz's ability to maintain velocity throughout a game and work as a viable starter. He's currently competing with Kumar Rocker for the final spot in the rotation, with Cal Quantrill and Austin Gomber also options if neither favorite is deemed able to handle the assignment.
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Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Late scratch Saturday
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Higashioka was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's Cactus League game against the Giants due to back tightness, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Willie MacIver was a late addition to the starting nine at catcher in place of Higashioka, whose removal from the lineup has been described as a "precaution." The veteran backstop previously missed time earlier in camp due to the same injury, which has limited him to just seven at-bats in Cactus League play over the past 10 days.
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Rangers' Evan Carter: Returns to big-league action
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Carter started in center field and went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's spring game against Seattle.
Carter was scratched from the lineup Wednesday due to illness but was playing on the back fields Thursday before joining the Rangers' main squad Friday. The homer, which came off a right-hander, was the first of the spring for Carter, who is 3-for-15 with two extra-base hits and three walks over seven Cactus League games. He's expected to be a lineup regular whenever Texas faces a right-hander, but Carter needs to be better against lefties to be an everyday starter. Thus far, he's 0-for-4 against southpaws this spring.
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Rangers' Jack Leiter: Makes third spring start
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Leiter allowed two runs on five hits while striking out four over 3.2 innings in Friday's spring start against the Mariners.
Leiter navigated the first two innings without much stress before the right-hander was touched for solo home runs in the third and fourth innings. He ran his pitch count to 61 (40 strikes) and didn't walk a batter for the first time this spring during his third Cactus League start. Leiter told Kane McCutchen of Yahoo! Sports that he was focused on working on specific pitches, as is the case for many pitchers during spring outings. On Friday, it was his changeup, which he threw 10 times (three swinging strikes) after using it just twice in his previous outing. Leiter has a 5.14 ERA with three walks, six strikeouts and three homers allowed over seven spring innings.
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Rangers' Evan Carter: Back in action in backfields game
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Carter (illness) returned to action in a backfields game Thursday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Carter had to be scratched from the lineup for Wednesday's exhibition versus Team Brazil after falling ill, but he felt well enough to play in a "B" game a day later. The outfielder is 2-for-12 with a stolen base and a 3:5 BB:K in his first six Cactus League contests.
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Rangers' Josh Jung: Fielding grounders
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Jung (hamstring) began fielding groundballs Thursday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Thursday marked the first time Jung had done any work in the field since being diagnosed with a Grade 1 adductor strain Saturday. The Rangers don't have a timeline in place for the 28-year-old third baseman, but there's a decent chance he returns in time for Opening Day.
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