Joc Pederson (hand) not ready to return to lineup

Pederson took live batting practice off of Jack Leiter in Minnesota on Sunday and showed enough that Schumaker had no reservations about his ability. Now the Rangers just need to overcome the Astros to win the American League West.

If all goes well with that session, Pederson is hoping that he’ll be available for the start of the Wild Card series on Tuesday — provided the Rangers make it to the postseason. The 34-year-old slugger has been shelved since mid-September due to a small fracture in his left hand.

It finally happened. The Rangers waited as long as they could for Pederson to attempt to make it back from a small fracture in his left hand, but they simply couldn’t continue to play with a shortened bench while sitting one game ahead of the Astros for the AL West division title entering the final week of the season. The 34-year-old righty-masher was going to be out of the lineup for the eighth straight game on Tuesday against the Mets. There’s still a chance that Pederson is ready for the outset of the playoffs, but he won’t return before then.

Pederson is on the bench for the eighth consecutive game after being diagnosed with a fracture in his left hand earlier this month. There’s a chance he’s ready to return at some point later this week, but fantasy managers shouldn’t count on it.

It qualifies as a mild surprise to see Pederson out of the lineup considering his familiarity with former Angels starter José Soriano. He probably would’ve been in the lineup if he were ready from a health standpoint. He’s sitting out his sixth consecutive game after being diagnosed with a fracture in his left hand. He’s aiming to make it back in time for the postseason, which seems like a fairly strong possibility. There’s been zero indication that the Rangers are considering putting him on the injured list.

Pederson has yet to resume swinging a bat, though the swelling in his hand has finally subsided. He has been gripping a bat lightly to get some strength and movement back and the Rangers remain hopeful that he’ll be able to avoid a trip to the injured list.

Pederson receives some extra time off with lefty Jake Bennett taking the ball for Boston in this one. The 34-year-old slugger is attempting to play through a small fracture in his left hand for the rest of the season. He figures to be back in the lineup to face veteran Sonny Gray during Thursday’s series finale.

Pederson, who is absent from the lineup for Tuesday’s series opener against the Red Sox, told reporters he’s going to attempt to play through the injury with less than two weeks remaining in the regular season. The 34-year-old, who has occupied Texas’ leadoff spot against most right-handed starters, suffered the injury when he was hit by a pitch over the weekend. The Rangers find themselves in a heated race with the Astros for the AL West division title and sit just one game back entering Tuesday’s action.

Pederson had his hand in a plastic brace after the game Saturday. He was hit in the same area in which he suffered a fractured wrist last season. It may sound like bad luck, but it’s really Pederson’s own doing from crowding the plate. Last year’s HBP came on a pitch that was a little high but was over the strike zone. The HBP tonight came on a pitch that was maybe three inches inside. If Pederson did escape another significant injury, it’s at least good timing on his part. The Rangers are set to face left-handers in each of their next three games, meaning Pederson was likely to be out of the starting lineup anyway.

Pederson stayed in to run the bases, but the Rangers had Justin Foscue hit for him his next time up, even though there was still a righty in the game for Arizona. Pederson suffered a broken wrist when he was hit in the same area last year.