Rangers 2025 Opening Day roster projections 1.0: Texas is ready for resurgence

I know it feels as if I am beating the same bush over and over again, the 2024 season was bad. Yes, they only won 78 games. Yes, they missed the playoffs. But it's about moving on and stepping forward and proving why you belong at the top.

It doesn't seem that hard, right? All they have to do is remain healthy, perform at the top of their game and win close to 100 games for a championship. It helps that the roster is in pretty good shape for the most part and it all it needs is a good spring to sort it all out.

Projecting the Rangers' 2025 Opening Day roster

While the bulk of the Rangers' roster is pretty much done, they still have some things to decide in camp. The bullpen needs rebuilding after an exodus of multiple arms that were heavily relied on over the last couple of seasons. Here is a look at our first Opening Day roster projection for 2025.

Rangers Opening Day Position Players

• Catchers: Tucker Barnhart, Jonah Heim, Kyle Higashioka

• First Base: Jake Burger

• Second Base: Marcus Semien

• Shortstop: Corey Seager

• Third Base: Josh Jung

• Outfielders: Evan Carter, Adolis Garcia, Wyatt Langford

• Designated Hitter: Joc Pederson

• Bench: Ezequiel Duran, Josh Smith, Leody Taveras

My fun addition: the Rangers will carry a third catcher into the season. Why? Mostly because the Rangers said they will have Heim and Higashioka share even playing time and that leads to increased worries over injuries. Since Barnhart is a non-roster invitee they will add him to the 26-man because they can't afford to lose him as a backup option.

The rest is pretty simple, since there is no more Nathaniel Lowe we will get Burger at first base, outside of the occasional Pederson start. The most underrated part of this roster is the versatility of the bench, which can really be used at 6-7 positions on the field.

Rangers Opening Day Rotation

• Jacob deGrom, RHP

• Nathan Eovaldi, RHP

• Cody Bradford, LHP

• Jon Gray, RHP

• Tyler Mahle, RHP

Not too much to say about this one. It's a pretty simple prediciton to see that this is the five-man rotation that Bruce Bochy will enter the season with. The only tweak might be opting to have Bradford after Gray and Mahle but I believe mixing the lefty in the middle of the rotation provides a different look in a three-game series.

Rangers Opening Day Bullpen

• Shawn Armstrong, RHP

• Marc Church, RHP

• Dane Dunning, RHP

• Robert Garcia, LHP

• Chris Martin, RHP (closer)

• Hoby Milner, LHP

• Jacob Webb, RHP

One of the biggest absences from this list is Jack Leiter, but it comes down to what the team needs in their bullpen: experience. Which is why I am opting to have a pitcher like Armstrong on the roster and put Leiter in Triple-A to start the year.

Another name missing is Josh Sborz, not because I don't believe in him but he is going to be missing the first couple of months of the season recovering from shoulder surgery. When it comes to the closer role, Martin will win that job this spring with youngster Marc Church and Jacob Webb getting the opportunity to step up when necessary.