Rangers facing tough Joc Pederson injury decision that they can't afford to botch

It looked like the Texas Rangers were going to complete the three-game sweep of the Red Sox, only to suffer a gut punch in the form of a Trevor Story 3-run bomb in the top of the eighth to give them a 4-3 win. It was the 5th straight game that Joc Pederson missed after suffering a fracture in his left hand after being hit by a pitch.

Since the injury, the team has used a handful of leadoff hitters, including Justin Foscue and Ezequiel Duran. Now, as the Rangers face the Blue Jays in a massive weekend series, Pederson is saying he can play through the pain. The question is: Should he, now that the Rangers are neck and neck with the Astros for the AL West title?

Skip Schumaker has a tough call on whether to play an injured Joc Pederson for the final Rangers' playoff push

Is a hurt Joc Pederson still Skip Schumaker's best option to hit leadoff against right-handers? The answer is an unequivocal "NO".

Even before he got hurt, Pederson was mired in a slump. From September 4 to September 12, he was 4 for his last 19. Since the beginning of August, Pederson has seen his average drop from a season high of .255 to its current mark at .235. He has only hit 6 homers since August 1 and has driven in just 11 runs. He was struggling before he got hurt, so why would you want to put him back in the lineup now that he is hurt? If Joc isn't hitting homers, then he isn't really helping this team win games.

We'd rather have a fully healthy Ezequiel Duran, Justin Foscue, or even Cody Freeman taking their hacks against righties over a 34-year-old with a fracture in his lead hand. It's really just common sense more than anything else. If Joc catches a stinger off the end of the bat, he could injure himself even worse.

In addition, Texas could use the vacant DH spot to help protect Corey Seager, who, of course, is always very fragile and has been vital to the Rangers' surge with a .296/.365/.503 line since being activated from the IL on July 31.

Wyatt Langford could also benefit from some DH days as he's been dealing with nagging injuries and has been stuck in a funk as a result. Perhaps less time in the field could ignite his bat.

Yes, the Rangers are preparing to face two quality right-handers over the weekend, with Dylan Cease and Jose Soriano taking the mound for the Blue Jays. Still, sometimes Schumaker can be so locked in on the lefty/righty splits that he loses focus on the best and smartest move for the team.

It's not an ideal situation by any stretch, but there is no way that Pederson can grab the bat properly to generate the kind of power that he needs. And, again, a Pederson who isn't barreling and driving the ball isn't a guy you want in the lineup. Zeke has done everything else for this team so far; give him a chance to lead off and hope he can lay off the slider, which has been his Achilles' heel this season.

The Rangers peeled off four wins in a row with Pederson out of the lineup, and should have made it five if not for a rare late-inning bullpen meltdown. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

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