The Texas Rangers turned June into a major step forward, and the month had a little bit of everything: a surge to the top of the AL West, a couple of breakout performances, and a pair of frustrating setbacks that kept the roster from looking quite as complete as the record suggested.
Texas opened June at 28-31 and 2 1/2 games back in the division. By the end of the month, the Rangers had stacked up a 16-11 run, finished with six straight wins and moved to 44-42, good for sole possession of first place in the AL West.
A big reason for that climb was the production of Joc Pederson. After a shaky start to his Rangers tenure, the designated hitter found his footing in June and gave Texas the kind of thump it has needed from the middle of the order.
In 93 plate appearances, Pederson hit .247/.312/.529 with a 132 wRC+, six homers, 10 extra-base hits and 13 RBI. That pushed his season line to .241/.338/.474 with a 126 wRC+.
For a lineup that has spent much of the year searching for consistency, Pederson stood out as one of the few reliable sources of offense.
Another major lift came from Jacob Latz, who has quickly become the late-inning arm the Rangers have been chasing for years. The move to make him a full-time closer paid off in a big way.
Latz was already throwing well before June, but he took another step last month, giving up just two runs on six hits and four walks across 16 innings. He struck out 19 and matched the franchise record for saves in a month with 11.
That total put him in some select company. Since the start of 2024, Latz is one of only three MLB pitchers with 11 or more saves in a month, joining Cade Smith and Ryan Helsley.
Not every June story in Texas was a positive one, though. Corey Seager’s month was defined by stops and starts, and almost none of them were good.
He came off the injured list on June 4 after missing a little over two weeks with lower back inflammation, but his return didn’t last. Seager went back on the IL on June 15 with a concussion, was activated again on June 25, and then landed right back on the IL on July 1 with lower back inflammation after being pulled from Tuesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians in the first inning.
Seager’s numbers in June were complicated. He hit only .194, but still posted a 126 wRC+ thanks to a .324 on-base percentage and .484 slugging percentage.
A .158 BABIP suggests some bad luck was in the mix. Even so, the bigger issue was availability.
With only 37 plate appearances for the month, it was a frustrating stretch no matter how the stat line looked.
Jack Leiter’s June was cut short in a different way. The right-hander made only three starts before going on the IL with an ankle injury, and that injury required arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose body. According to The Dallas Morning News’ Evan Grant, Leiter will be out until August, if not longer.
In Other News...
White Sox Minor League Trade Hints At What This Front Office Values
A minor league swap can still tell you plenty about what a front office is chasing, and this one fits that mold for Texas. The Rangers added a Triple-A right-handed reliever in Ben Peoples, a 25-year-old who has pitched well enough at that level to draw attention, while sending away Ben Hartl, a 23-year-old catcher drafted by the club in 2024 who had been working his way through High-A. Neither player has reached the majors or occupied a 40-man roster spot, but the trade still reflects a clear preference for current pitching depth over longer-term catching depth.
Peoples brings the kind of arm that can move quickly if the command holds, and that matters for a Rangers bullpen that has been searching for more stability this month. Hartl, meanwhile, had shown enough on the defensive side to keep him in the conversation as a catching prospect, but Texas chose a different path, betting that a relief option closer to the upper minors has more immediate value. It is the sort of move that rarely grabs headlines, yet it says a lot about where a club thinks it can improve fastest. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Winning Streak Suddenly Comes With A Corey Seager Fear
The Rangers winning streak has helped soften the edges of a difficult injury picture, but Corey Seagers latest hiccup is the kind that can change the mood quickly. Seager was pulled from a recent game after feeling back tightness in warmups, and it came on the heels of a long recovery from a concussion and earlier back inflammation that already slowed his return.
For a club trying to keep the momentum going, any concern involving Seager carries extra weight because the lineup has already been asked to absorb multiple absences. Texas is navigating that while still playing well, and the next roster move could have ripple effects if the infield needs another layer of protection. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Gifted Rangers A Bizarre Run In A Tight Game
Clevelands decision to get Cooper Ingles bat into the lineup came with an unusual wrinkle on a tense night against the Rangers, and it briefly put the game in a strange spot. The Guardians were trying to manage the late innings in a tight matchup when a routine-looking play in left field suddenly flipped into a gift for Texas, turning a deadlocked game into a one-run Rangers edge.
Ingle did not disappear after the blunder, either. He came back with a hard at-bat that looked like it might help answer the mistake, only to have a sharp defensive play up the middle take away a hit and leave the moment hanging in the balance for Cleveland as the game moved on. [Read more 🡒]