The Texas Rangers made a clear bet heading into 2026: if the old power-first formula wasn’t going to carry them anymore, they would try something different at Globe Life Field.
Chris Young’s answer started with a roster move, sending second baseman Marcus Semien away to bring in outfielder Brandon Nimmo. It also came with a different idea in the hitting room, one built around reaching base more often and giving hitters more flexibility instead of leaning so hard on home runs. That was a noticeable shift from the approach that fueled the club’s World Series title in 2023.
The reason for the overhaul was impossible to miss. Texas’ home offense had been sliding for years.
At Globe Life Field, the numbers told the story in sharp stages. The Rangers’ 2023 home production was far stronger than what followed, but the drop-off from 2023 to 2024 was especially brutal: batting average down 35 points, home runs down 53, RBI down 144. Texas went from 90 wins in 2023 to 78 in 2024, and the offense was a major part of that decline.
The slide slowed in 2025, but it did not disappear. The batting average fell another 14 points, with runs down 14, home runs down 12 and RBI down 10.
That wasn’t collapse anymore. It was more like a new level of ordinary, which is exactly what made 2026 such a key test.
And in 2026, the offense did move in the right direction at home.
The batting average jumped 16 points, a meaningful gain. Nimmo’s first season in the mix helped shape that improvement, especially when measured against Semien’s production in New York.
Nimmo hit .260/.324/.405 with 14 home runs and 62 RBI, while Semien finished at .215/.280/.340 with 15 home runs and 49 RBI. Texas also got a lift from the rise of Ezequiel Duran and Josh Jung.
Jung came close to batting .300, while Duran posted career highs with 17 home runs and 83 RBI and played seven positions.
The on-base percentage also climbed, moving comfortably past 2025 and edging beyond 2024 as well. That was the kind of result the Rangers were chasing with their new offensive approach. The slugging percentage, though, still lagged behind the 2024 and 2025 marks and was nowhere near the 2023 peak, when the Rangers were built much more around power.
The bigger picture at home was mixed but clear. Texas was minus-1 in runs scored, matched its 2024 home home-run total, and finished with eight more RBI than it had the previous year.
So yes, the offense improved. It just improved to roughly 2024 levels, not beyond them.
That was the frustrating part. The changes Young made did what they were supposed to do in a limited sense, but the boost wasn’t enough to change the standings. The Rangers finished 80-82, one loss worse than the year before despite the better slash line at home.
So the answer is simple: yes, the offense got better at Globe Life Field in 2026. Not dramatically.
Not enough to push Texas back into October. But enough to suggest the makeover may have some value if the Rangers can build on it in 2027.
In Other News...
MacKenzie Gore Still Hasn't Settled The Rangers' Biggest Trade Question
MacKenzie Gore gave the Rangers the durable left-hander they were hoping to get when they paid a steep price to land him, and he ended up making more starts than anyone else on the staff. Even so, the full-season line was a reminder that volume alone does not settle a trade this large, as Gore finished 8-11 with a 4.58 ERA over 173 innings, along with 174 strikeouts and 71 walks.
The bigger question for Texas is whether the stuff underneath the numbers points to a pitcher still moving in the right direction or one whose margin for error is shrinking. Gores results were uneven enough to keep the debate alive, and while the Rangers can point to the workload and swing-and-miss, the long view on a deal this expensive is still being written. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Still Have Two Offseason Needs That Could Get Expensive
The Rangers did a little deadline housekeeping in 2026, picking up catcher Logan OHoppe and right-hander Chase Silseth from the Angels while sending Josh Smith and Josh Stephan to the Blue Jays for lefty Adam Macko. It was a modest haul, but it did not do much to quiet the bigger questions around the roster heading into the winter, especially with the club still weighing how to shore up two spots that could shape the offseason market.
One route leads to the starting pitching pool, where free agent Trevor Rogers stands out as a familiar name with some recent traction. Another points to the catching market, where Hunter Goodman and Ryan Jeffers have both surfaced as possible fits for Texas, though the price tags could vary sharply depending on how available they actually are. The Rangers will have to balance need against cost here, and in at least two of those cases, the fit may come with extra draft-pick baggage attached. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face A Josh Jung Decision That Could Define Chris Young
Josh Jungs name has become one of the more interesting talking points around the Rangers as they weigh whether to keep the former top prospect in the middle of their long-term picture or use him to address a different part of the roster. The clubs need for more offense has only sharpened the conversation, especially with the front office trying to line up a roster that can still be competitive beyond the immediate season.
A move like this would not be about short-term noise so much as how Texas wants to build toward 2027 and beyond, which is where the stakes get clearer for Chris Young and his staff. Any decision involving Jung would say plenty about the organizations direction, and the possibility of using that type of trade to reshape the lineup is the kind of swing that could define how the Rangers are judged in the years ahead. [Read more 🡒]