The Texas Rangers' 2025 season is a paradox. Despite elite pitching, injuries to Wyatt Langford & Joc Pederson have stalled the offense. Can they turn it around?
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
Happy Fourth of July, Rangers fans. As we get ready for some holiday baseball, the story of our 2025 season has become crystal clear: this is a team at war with itself. On one hand, we have a pitching staff that is the envy of the American League, boasting a league-best 3.23 ERA. On the other, we have an offense that has gone missing in action, ranking near the bottom of the league in nearly every meaningful category. It's a frustrating paradox, and it's the single biggest reason the team is sitting fourth in the AL West.
The Rangers' pitching staff leads the American League with a 3.23 team ERA, but the offense has sputtered, ranking 25th in MLB with a .229 batting average.
You can't talk about the offensive struggles without looking at the M.A.S.H. unit in the clubhouse. The lineup has been decimated by injuries to key contributors. Losing rookie slugger Wyatt Langford and his 13 homers to an oblique injury was a massive blow. Add to that the absence of DH Joc Pederson (hand), and you've lost two of your most reliable bats. The pitching staff isn't immune either, with Tyler Mahle, Cody Bradford, and Jon Gray all sidelined, putting immense pressure on the remaining arms to be perfect.
Amidst the gloom, there was a small glimmer of hope from catcher Jonah Heim. In the recent win against Baltimore, Heim broke out of a miserable slump with a 2-for-4 performance, including a double and an RBI. It was a sight for sore eyes, especially for a player whose OPS had cratered to .464 over his last 100-plus plate appearances. While one game doesn't fix a season, the Rangers need these small victories. They need guys like Heim, a former All-Star, to find their form and lengthen this lineup. It has to start somewhere.
Tonight's holiday matchup against the Padres in San Diego feels like a microcosm of the season. The Rangers are sending Kumar Rocker (3-4, 6.13 ERA) to the mound. Rocker has the talent, but his ERA shows he's been vulnerable, and he'll need run support against a potent Padres lineup featuring Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. The question, as always, is whether the bats can provide it. They're averaging a paltry 3.8 runs per game and will face Randy Vásquez, who has been solid for San Diego. This is a tough test on the road.
Tonight's game is more than just another box score; it's a test of this team's resolve. Can the offense, even in its depleted state, find a way to support a pitching staff that has given them every chance to win? The path back to contention for the Rangers isn't complicated: get healthy and hit the ball. Until they do, we'll be left watching brilliant pitching performances get wasted. Let's hope the fireworks at Petco Park come from some Rangers bats.
