Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford give Rangers a boost, spark lineup questions upon IL returns

Both Wyatt Langford and Corey Seager came back from their respective IL stints, and neither waited long to make an impact. Delivering almost immediately, both carried the Texas Rangers to a 3-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Friday. 

Langford has had a long road back, missing the entire month of May and 39 total games due to a right forearm strain. That led to the big question heading into last night: despite the rehab starts in Frisco, would the 24-year-old actually be able to shake off the rust? Well, the answer was a solid yes, maybe even with a few exclamation points at the end. Going 1-4 with a double and one run, the Rangers might not have been able to win the game without him.

For Seager, it's got to be a huge relief. Coming off a career-long 0-29 hitless streak, and a career-worst .179/.286/.353 line before going down with a back strain. Luckily, he blew any doubts out of the water, hitting the game-winning two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning, which was set up by Langford's double.

He and Langford were quite literally the one-two punch as well, because they were hitting first and second in the lineup, respectively. However, if Joc Pederson has anything to say about it, that might not be the way it looks for long. 

The best way for the Rangers to deploy Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford alongside Joc Pederson in the lineup is clear

While the combo of having Wyatt Langford bat first and then Corey Seager did prove quite effective, it shouldn't stay that way for long. That’s all due to the big bad Joc Pederson, who has been on a tear. He’s batted in the leadoff spot for 18 of the past 19 games and has a .305 average with 14 RBIs over that span. Most importantly, Pederson has gotten on base at a ridiculous clip while batting first in the lineup.

Pederson came off the bench because the opposing pitcher, Parker Messick, was a tough left-hander. However, if they’re smart, the Rangers will make some changes to the batting order when facing a right-hander. That hot streak is just far too hard to ignore, and the team has to keep using what's working if they want to lead the American League West.

Texas has needed offense in the worst way, and with the two stars back, they have an opportunity to truly take off. Pederson's torrid on-base streak should set Langford and Seager up for plenty of opportunities to drive in runs, should the Rangers decide to stack the three sluggers at the top of the order.

With Cleveland Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee taking the hill tonight, the Rangers haven't quite come to this conclusion. The club announced a batting order with Pederson leading off and Seager in the two hole. Langford will be batting fifth. We're not huge fans of the back-to-back lefties to start, and hope they come to the realization that Pederson-Langford-Seager makes more sense.

With a division title not out of the question, the two returning Ragners should add to what Pederson is doing, not take away. Although the only way that works is if the two stay close to the hot hand. Going 1-2-3, the batting lineup in Arlington for the foreseeable future should be Pederson, Langford, and Seager.

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