Rangers' DH showing it's never too late to turn a negative season around

Joc Pederson has been awful for the Texas Rangers this season but it's never a bad time to turn those struggles around.

After kicking off the season with a 1-for-13 mark, the 33-year-old started the month of April by setting a franchise record by going 0-for-41 until finally recording a hit on April 23. It didn't get any better as he hit .167 in May before a hit by pitch broke his arm and he missed nearly two months.

Any positive outcome is a massive step forward for Rangers' DH

While he's still nowhere near the talent the Rangers' expected when they signed him to a two-year deal this past offseason, Pederson has shown signs of what could've been over the last week and half.

Starting with a game-tying pinch hit homer off Devin Williams on August 4, Pederson went 6-for-17 on the Rangers' latest home stand with 2 home runs, 3 RBIs, a double and 4 walks. That has translated to a .296 average in 12 games during August.

When August began he was hitting .120 and entering this weekend's three-game set in Toronto at .150, a significant improvement in only 12 games. It's amazing what one big swing can do to unlock confidence that has been desperately needed.

Just enough season remains for Pederson to rebuild his swagger

Throughout Pederson's 12 years in Major League Baseball he's always been known as an out there personality. The biggest example of that is the 2021 season when he was traded to Atlanta and was a much-needed spark plug for a Braves' season that ended with a World Series title.

The 2025 season was hoping to be a late-career breakout for Pederson, coming off a season in Arizona where he batted .275 with 23 home runs and 64 RBIs. The Rangers were in big need of a designated hitter and signing Pederson to a two-year deal seemed like a big answer to that.

While it hasn't worked out, it doesn't mean his season is lost. While Texas might be 61-61 and find themselves on the outside looking in as far as the postseason is concerned, there's still roughly 40 games remaining to make up ground.

Pederson is a big key to helping Texas reclaim success, have a winning season and punch a ticket to the playoffs. Not only that, if Pederson is able to get his production going through the rest of the regular season it would help ease some fan tension and even set himself up with some positives to work on for next year.