It's time for this Rangers star to see his playing time drastically reduced

Will the real Joc Pederson please stand up? He set a Texas Rangers record with a horrendous stretch of 0-41 that saw his average dip to .052.

Then, it appeared Pederson had turned the corner and would start to put up numbers more consistent with what you'll see on the back of his baseball card. He went 5-16 over a seven-game stretch in late April, including his first home run of the season. He was seeing the ball much better and putting together quality at-bats.

Joc Pederson’s prolonged slump raises questions about his future in Rangers lineup

Well, last night notwithstanding (a long homer included), Mr. Pederson has not parlayed that sequence of games into a complete turnaround. He has gone back to being a well-below-average hitter, registering just 6 hits in 39 May plate appearances with an embarrassing slash line. It's not .052 bad, but it certainly isn't what the Texas Rangers organization thought they were going to get after paying a handsome sum to bring him into the fold this season.

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. We were here for Pederson, having turned the corner. We have wanted to see more prodigious homers like last night versus the Astros to put the Rangers up for good in a 5-1 win, but it still hasn't materialized, and we are still concerned that it may not be in the cards this season.

Yes, it is still early and despite Pederson's struggles, the Rangers have managed to win seven of their last eight games, but it hasn't been because they are riding the torpedo bat of the former Dodger, Daimondback, and Brave.

It has still been dominant starting pitching that is covering up for he lack of production from guys like Pederson and Marcus Semien. Look what a "get right" trip to Triple-A Round Rock has done for Jake Burger. Is it out of the realm of possibility that the DH/1B takes a "reset" week and a half riding buses and playing in front of 5,000 people a night to find his stroke?

The bottom line is that Pederson is hitting .130 and that is more than 100 points below his career average. He has to do better for the Texas Rangers or it will be time to cut his playing time.