How long is Joc Pederson's leash until he forces Rangers to make a move?

Everything looked peachy when Ranger DH Joc Pederson showed up in Surprise, having shed about 15 pounds. Like the affable veteran had fully realized what an abject disaster 2025 was for him, and he was prepared to turn the page both mentally and physically.

But with only a week left before the games start to count, the left-handed slugger is struggling once again and is testing the patience of both new skipper Skip Schumaker and the Texas fanbase.

Now that he is in the second year of a two-year deal, how long will Chris Young and the organization be willing to wait while Pederson tries to find his groove at the plate?

Rangers DH Joc Pederson has had an awful spring session

To briefly recap: Pederson had his worst season by far in 2025, which included a franchise-record 0-for-41 stretch early in the season while finishing with an abysmal slash line of .181/.285/.328.

Now, he has kicked off spring training by going 5-for-29 (.172) with no extra base hits and 10 strikeouts. He has a week to turn it around before the Rangers open in Philadelphia on March 26, but it isn't looking good right now.

Chris Young and the Rangers' front office had little choice but to ride it out last year, having invested $37 million over two years and believing the former All-Star would progress back to his norm.

This season is much different, and it will be interesting to see how long they will allow Joc to find his swing before making a change.

Joc Pederson is on much shorter leash now that Rangers are on the back half of a hefty salary

There was no way the team was going to eat the enormous amount they invested in Pederson when he got off to a historically poor start last season.

Young and owner Ray Davis aren't going to sit around and watch a repeat of 2025 with just $18 mllion due moving forward. The idea of eating that amount of cash is obviously something everyone involved would like to avoid, but you simply cannot have such a deflating presence in the middle of your lineup, particularly when the team is so laser-focused on getting off to a hot start at the plate.

Look for Schumaker to turn to alternatives like Mark Canha, Andrew McCutchen, Michael Helman, or even Sam Haggerty sooner rather than later should Pederson's struggles roll over into the regular season.

And we're talking about a hook that could come as quickly as April or May, which no one wants to see happen, but is realistic as of today.