Heim is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Red Sox. After starting at catcher or designated hitter in each of the Rangers' last 11 games, Heim will get a much needed day off as Texas wraps up its series in Boston. Dustin Harris will get a turn as the Rangers' DH on Thursday while Tucker Barnhart handles catching duties.
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Heim is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Red Sox. After starting at catcher or designated hitter in each of the Rangers' last 11 games, Heim will get a much needed day off as Texas wraps up its series in Boston. Dustin Harris will get a turn as the Rangers' DH on Thursday while Tucker Barnhart handles catching duties.
Seager is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest in Boston. Seager started each of the Rangers' first four games upon his activation from the injured list, but he'll get some rest for Thursday's matinee. Josh Smith will handle shortstop and bat leadoff for Texas.
The Rangers recalled Duran from Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday. The Rangers played a man short in Wednesday's game against the Red Sox, as they put Kevin Pillar (back) on the injured list prior to the contest but had to wait for Duran to arrive in Boston after traveling. Duran is with the big club now, and he'll serve in a utility role.
Jung batted ninth in the order and went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-4 loss to the Red Sox. Jung swatted a homer off closer Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning. It was his first home run in 12 contests and third of the season. As part of recent personnel changes -- a new hitting coach -- and attempts to shake up a team that has underperformed offensively, manager Bruce Bochy has experimented with different batting orders. He had Jung batting ninth for a second straight game. It's hard to read this as a "demotion," as Jung has been better than several struggling Ranger hitters. Perhaps the manager wanted to stick with the same order that produced 16 hits the previous game.
Pederson went 2-for-2 with a double and a walk in Wednesday's 6-4 loss to Boston. Pederson recorded multiple hits for a second straight game and is a combined 4-for-5 with two doubles, one walk and an RBI in the first two games of the series with the Red Sox. It's just the second time all season he's hit safely in consecutive contests. He still has a way to go to dig out of an epic season-starting slump -- his average was .052 on April 22 -- but Pederson is batting .281 (9-for-32) over the last 12 games, and the bat is showing signs of life.
Garcia went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a sacrifice fly in Wednesday's 6-4 loss to the Rangers. Garcia gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning, when he took Tanner Houck deep to left field for a solo homer, and the former added another run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly to center field. Garcia has been hot at the plate as of late, going 6-for-10 with one home run and five RBI over his last three games, and his OPS now sits at .706 in 138 plate appearances.
Mahle allowed two runs on four hits and one walk over five innings in a no-decision against the Red Sox on Wednesday. He did not record a strikeout. Mahle allowed just one hit over the first three innings, but he was tagged for two runs in the fourth frame after yielding solo homers to Alex Bregman and Wilyer Abreu. Mahle generated only four whiffs on 88 pitches (57 strikes) and failed to log a punchout for the first time this season. Still, the 30-year-old right-hander hasn't given up more than two earned runs in any of his eight starts this season, and his 1.48 ERA and 0.98 WHIP rank fourth and 14th, respectively, in the American League among qualified starters. Mahle is lined up to face the Rockies at home next week.
The Rangers are expected to recall Duran from Triple-A Round Rock ahead of Thursday's game against the Red Sox, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports. Texas has already placed Kevin Pillar (back) on the injured list in a corresponding move, but since Duran isn't scheduled to arrive in Boston prior to Wednesday's contest, the Rangers will wait until Thursday to make his promotion official. Duran will offer depth at all four infield spots and both corner-outfield spots and will likely see most of his starts against left-handed pitching. He had been on the fire at the plate since being optioned to Triple-A on April 20, slashing .346/.393/.673 with four home runs and five stolen bases over 13 games.
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