Rangers option key 2023 player and activate top prospect in series of roster moves

Realizing that time is running out to start getting back into the race, the Texas Rangers made some roster moves to help the roster as much as possible. Most notably, the have called up infielder Justin Foscue and optioned utility player Ezequiel Duran.

Around a year ago, hearing that Duran has been optioned would have shocked you. Nowadays, it was just a matter of time. On July 17 of 2023, Duran was hitting .276 with 14 home runs and an OPS over .800. He filled a massive gap in the Rangers' lineup with Corey Seager hitting the IL in early April.

In the 11 months since that day, he is hitting .246 with just four homers in 108 games. For a young, talented former top-100 prospect who showed so much promise early on, it is so disappointing to see a player that looked like a long-term piece turn into a below-replacement-level player.

Rangers option Ezequiel Duran and recall Justin Foscue

As for Foscue, he got an ounce of big-league playing time after Josh Jung got injured, before he eventually hit the IL himself with an oblique injury.

Foscue was the Rangers' first-round pick in 2020 (before Evan Carter) and has climbed the ranks ever since. He controls the strike zone well with a high walk rate and low strikeout rate, something that's impressive for a younger player. Foscue is mostly a middle-infielder but dabbles at first and third base.

Hopefully Foscue can be a good addition to this Rangers squad that has been struggling beyond belief in the first half of 2024. He came up the first time to help out with Jung and Nathaniel Lowe on the shelf, but didn't get enough time to prove himself. Foscue is back from injury and will get some reps at Triple-A, and hopefully he can return to the big league roster and help the offense.

Now, with Wyatt Langford heating up, the young core of Rangers players has a chance to hit their stride as the rest of the roster gets back to full strength.