The Texas Rangers haven’t looked like a team that usually collects postseason hardware this season. But Ezequiel Duran has put himself in position to change that conversation all by himself.
For years, Duran was more promise than production. His 2024 and 2025 seasons fell short, and he spent long stretches fighting for consistent playing time. This year, though, he’s forced his way into the spotlight and made a real case for two awards, even if the Rangers never reach the playoffs.
The first lane is the American League Silver Slugger for a utility player, given to the league’s best hitter who regularly handles multiple positions. Duran’s numbers stack up favorably against former Rangers utility man Josh Smith, who won the award two years ago.
Duran is hitting .277/.337/.457 with 17 home runs and 78 RBI in 2026. Smith’s 2024 line was .258/.337/.394 with 13 home runs and 62 RBI.
If the season ended Monday, Duran would have career highs in home runs, RBI, doubles with 26, triples with 4 and OPS at .794. That’s a breakthrough season by any measure, and the numbers say it plainly.
Smith’s departure from the role also opened the door. He missed more than a month because of two injuries and viral meningitis, and Duran played well enough in the utility spot that the Rangers traded Smith to the Toronto Blue Jays at the deadline.
Duran has just as strong a case on the defensive side for the AL Gold Glove at utility player. He’s covered a huge amount of ground this season: 50 games at shortstop, 44 at third base, 31 at second base, 21 in left field, 14 in right field, 10 in center field and three at first base. He’s already played more games in center and right field than he had in previous seasons combined.
No matter where the Rangers plug him in, he’s been steady. Third base is the only spot where his fielding percentage sits below .980, and even there it’s .966.
Across all positions, he’s committed five errors. Fangraphs has him at 18 outs above average overall, and he doesn’t have a negative OAA at any of the seven positions he’s played.
His value shows up in the broader numbers too. Duran’s 5.1 fWAR ranks fifth among non-pitchers, behind Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong at 9.6, Kansas City Royals shortstop at 6.5, Houston designated hitter Yordan Alvarez at 6.0 and Cincinnati shortstop Elly De La Cruz at 5.2.
Those names all stay in one place every day. Duran doesn’t. He’s bounced around nearly every night and still produced like one of the best all-around players in the league.
Based on what he’s done, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be at least a finalist for both awards and a real candidate to win one in November. Finally given the opportunity, he’s earned it.
In Other News...
Rangers Trade Deadline Gamble Already Looks More Costly Than Expected
When the Rangers made their August 3 deal with Toronto, the move was framed as a chance to reshuffle the roster and add a left-handed arm in Adam Macko while parting with Josh Smith. It was a classic deadline bet on fit and upside, the kind of transaction that can look tidy on paper if the new piece settles in and the outgoing player becomes the price of doing business.
Instead, Smith has hit well since arriving in Toronto, while Macko has had a rougher run in both Triple-A and the majors, leaving the Rangers with little immediate return to show for the swap. Smiths injury history still clouds the long view, and that is where Texas has to hope the deal can age better than it has started, because the early read gives the Blue Jays the clearer win and leaves the Rangers waiting to see whether Macko can offer anything close to the value they gave up. [Read more 🡒]
Nathan Eovaldi Return Leaves Rangers With One Huge Rotation Question
Nathan Eovaldis return is getting closer, and the Rangers are already mapping out how to use him once hes back. He threw nearly 40 pitches in a bullpen session and is due for a live bullpen soon as he continues working toward activation from the injured list, with the club looking for a way to get his arm back into the mix without pushing him too hard too soon.
The Rangers are leaning toward a limited role for Eovaldi, which could mean anything from a bulk-relief look to a short-inning start, depending on how his recovery unfolds. Elsewhere, Kyle Higashioka has started a minor league rehab assignment with restrictions, Josh Jung is preparing for one after his calf strain, and Jack Leiter is still rehabbing with no clear answer yet on whether hell make it back this season. [Read more 🡒]
Ezequiel Duran Is Giving The Rangers An MVP Debate Fans Didn't Expect
Ezequiel Duran has quietly turned himself into one of the most valuable players on the Rangers roster, and it has happened in the way this club has come to appreciate most: by doing a little bit of everything. He has moved around the diamond, held his own defensively wherever hes been asked to play and backed it up with an offensive season strong enough to put him in the same conversation with some of the American Leagues biggest names.
Thats not the kind of MVP chatter Rangers fans expected to be having, especially with Yordan Alvarez and Bobby Witt Jr. usually occupying the center of those debates. Still, Durans all-around impact matters in a stretch where Texas is trying to keep pace after splitting with the Rays and sitting two games back in both the AL West and Wild Card races, because players who can cover ground and create value in more than one way tend to matter most when the margins get tight. [Read more 🡒]