Ezequiel

Duran

The Rangers are being sure to mix in plenty of days off for the 32-year-old slugger and it makes sense to do so with left-hander Jacob Lopez toeing the slab for the A’s on Sunday afternoon. Expect Seager to make an appearance off the bench in this one if the right situation arises. Ezequiel Duran will start at shortstop in his place and bat second for the Rangers.

Duran drove in a run on a base hit in the first inning and swiped second base for his ninth steal of the season. He then drove in two more runs in the eighth on a double to break a tie game. Duran came through in a clutch moment again in the ninth, driving in the winning run with a walk-off double. The 27-year-old infielder is hitting .278/.329/.463 with 13 homers, 51 runs scored, and 63 RBI across 399 plate appearances.

He’s surely happy to be playing regularly, but it still must be kind of frustrating for Duran to be the Rangers’ most valuable position player this year and be hitting seventh behind the likes of Evan Carter and Jake Burger. The other eight guys in the Texas lineup finished 3-for-29 while Duran was going 4-for-4 tonight. He’s batting .274/.326/.455 with 13 homers and 59 RBI.

Duran has homered in back-to-back games, and he collected five RBI in the four-game series win over the Mariners. Most Rangers fans surely would have been happy to see him go at any point during 2024 or ’25, but in 2026, he’s currently the team’s bWAR leader, at 2.6 entering today, and he’s second in RBI with 56.

Jung was pulled from Tuesday’s battle against the White Sox due to tightness in his left calf and hasn’t played since. There haven’t been rumblings about the oft-injured third baseman requiring a trip to the injured list just yet, but if this lingers for another couple of days the Rangers may be forced to rethink that. Ezequiel Duran will start in his place at third base and bat third for the Rangers against Mariners’ right-hander Bryce Miller.

There’s zero reason for the Rangers to rush Jung back with Thursday’s off-day looming. It’ll be Ezequiel Duran taking over at the hot corner after Jung made a precautionary exit from Tuesday’s game with left calf tightness. He’s presumably day-to-day heading into Friday’s series opener against Seattle.

Jung takes a seat for the third consecutive contest due to an ongoing right knee issue. It’s within the realm of possibility that he’ll require a trip to the injured list, but the Rangers are probably going to ride it out for the remainder of the week with the All-Star break on the horizon. It’ll be Ezequiel Duran filling in at the hot corner for the third straight game.

Jung remains out of the Rangers lineup for the second straight contest due to right knee soreness. It doesn’t sound like a potential injured list situation, but the fact that he’s not back following a couple days of extra rest is mildly concerning. There should be some clarity on his status in the coming days. It’ll be versatile Ezequiel Duran filling in at the hot corner in his absence.

Jung was going to try to give it a go but tested his knee out on the field before the game and ultimately the decision was made to give him the afternoon off. It’s possible that he could be available in a pinch-hit situation. Ezequiel Duran will cover third base in his absence and bat cleanup against Tigers’ right-hander Casey Mize.

It’s the fourth straight game that Nimmo has missed with a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder. The Rangers remain hopeful that he’ll be able to avoid a stint on the injured list, but if this extends into the weekend, their hand may end up being forced. Ezequiel Duran will once again start in his place in right field and will bat third for the Tigers against left-hander Framber Valdez on Thursday evening in Arlington.