Ezequiel

Duran

Seager just returned from the injured list on Friday night, and with a southpaw toeing the slab for the Guardians on Sunday it felt like a good time to give him a breather and ease him back into full-time action. Ezequiel Duran will start in his place at shortstop and bat fifth for the Rangers against Joey Cantillo and the Guardians.

How many Rangers fans wanted Duran DFA’d at some point during 2024 or 2025? Or for just the entirety of those two years? Duran has four homers and 32 RBI in 184 plate appearances this season after totaling three homers and 34 RBI in 504 plate appearances the previous two years. He’s been the Rangers’ regular shortstop with Corey Seager out, but he can simply move to second after Seager comes off the IL.

Duran’s 375-foot triple to the wall in left was a homer in 20 ballparks, according to Statcast. In Globe Life, though, it probably would have been caught by a better left fielder than Isaac Collins. So, Duran should be good with the triple. He’s been arguably the Rangers’ best position player while hitting .288/.341/.460 with 31 RBI in 180 plate appearances to date.

Duran was pulled from Wednesday’s game as he was feeling a bit under the weather, but it appears to have been a minor issue. The versatile 27-year-old is enjoying a strong season offensively, slashing .279/.333/.456 with four homers, 26 RBI and four stolen bases in 163 plate appearances.

Duran was replaced by Nicky Lopez at shortstop with Justin Foscue taking over at second base after going 0-for-2 at the dish. It doesn’t sound like a serious concern heading into Thursday’s series finale.

Duran finishes the three-game series against the Rockies with seven hits (including three extra-base hits), eight RBI, and three runs scored. He’s played shortstop in every game since Corey Seager went down with a back injury.

Duran is enjoying his time in Colorado with his second straight three-hit day in Coors. He doubled twice on Tuesday, driving in a team-high four runs in their blowout win against the Rockies. The versatile 26-year-old has been incredibly valuable as the Rangers navigate some injuries around the diamond. He’s slashing .298/.358/.476 with three homers, 20 runs scored, 21 RBI, and four steals across 138 plate appearances.

It’s extremely unfortunate timing for fantasy managers with the Rangers opening a three-game series at Coors Field on Monday night. The decision was made to give Seager some extra time off after he left the club to visit a back specialist after undergoing an MRI over the weekend. The major concern here is that back issues can be complicated matters. There should be a rough timetable for his return at some point in the near future. It’ll be Ezequiel Duran taking over at shortstop in his absence.

It’s the second straight game that Seager has missed with what the Rangers are calling “minor” back spasms. Ezequiel Duran will once again start in his place at shortstop and will bat fifth for the Rangers against Peter Lambert and the Astros.

The Rangers are calling the spasms “minor,” and that Seager is currently day-to-day. The 32-year-old has struggled considerably to begin the year, and unfortunately injuries have been a large part of his otherwise-successful career. Ezequiel Duran will handle shortstop with Seager out.