3 Texas Rangers players who are no longer worth defending

Sometimes it takes several years to put your hands up and say, "I've seen enough!" Others, you can get that sense fairly quickly, as in a month and a half. These three Texas Rangers do not move the needle one bit, and whether their roles are big or small, they have proven that there is no long-term spot waiting for them, and we should stop pretending that there is.

3 Texas Rangers players who are no longer worth defending

Luke Jackson - RP

Well, it didn't take long for the USS Jackson to sink like a stone, did it? After a sparkling beginning to the season that saw the right-hander claim the closer spot out of spring training and notch eight quick saves, Jackson has begun to show why he was a journeyman and available to begin with.

The 33 year old just grooved a batting practice pitch that Jasson Domiguez bludgeoned into the upper deck for a home run in the bottom of the ninth. It was a soul-crushing defeat and just the latest of Jackson's inability to consistently close out games for the team.

His ERA is now at a bloated 5.52 mark, and he has given up more hits than innings pitched. We saw many of these blown save losses during the 2023 World Series campaign, but the team was an offensive juggernaut then. Now, with the bats struggling, letting these close games get away is unacceptable.

Ezequiel Duran - Utility

Duran is a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none. He has been clinging to the final roster spot since 2022, and we've seen enough to know that his ceiling is nowhere near high enough to continue to clog things up. Especially now that we're seeing his floor with a .129 batting average and one RBI in 31 at-bats.

Many will make the argument that you need a guy like Duran to fill holes or that he just hasn't hotten to play enough consistently to prove himself. Balderdash! He had 406 plate appearances in 2023, and while his numbers .276/14 HR/46 RBI weren't terrible, it's high time that the organization move on from Duran and give another player with upside a chance.

Kevin Pillar - OF

Here we go again with Mr. Pillar. The only reason to keep him on the roster is to have a versatile outfielder available to spot the regulars a night off here and there, but now, he has ceded that role to Sam Haggerty, who has come in and produced in the role.

Now that Evan Carter is back on the IL, there is a need to have a fourth outfielder on the roster, but it might as well be someone who will be a threat at the plate, like Haggerty has been. Pillar isn't getting any younger, and he has already been on the IL this year, so it is time to cut bait.