Rangers infielder Ezequiel Duran had a month to remember

The past month and a half hasn't looked the prettiest for the Texas Rangers, but despite the often-hard-to-watch baseball, they've still had some players shine. Finishing May with a .288 AVG, three home runs, seven doubles, two triples, and 23 RBI, Ezequiel Duran was among the best in the MLB last month.

It didn't go unnoticed, with the Rangers naming him their player of the month. Deservingly so, because what's more is that those 23 RBIs are actually the most in a single month by a Ranger since August of 2023, when Corey Seager had 24. That's exciting, and it gets even better when you notice his bat really picked up at the end of the month. Duran had his first walk-off and was one of the faces of the team during the sweep against the KC Royals.

His contributions don't stop at the plate. Over the past month, Duran has also shown off his glove, going Air Jordan to catch line drives and running into the outfield to catch a pop-up. So many highlights have been made that some have even begun to say that he needs to not only stay in the batting lineup but also in the infield as well.

Ezequiel Duran needs to stay on the Rangers' roster when Corey Seager and Josh Smith return

Duran hasn't always been so productive. For the majority of his career, the utility man has been good enough to hang around, but not enough to play every day.

However, all of this production from Duran has come in clutch with Corey Seager being on the IL and Josh Smith dealing with meningitis. When both recover, he could very well be pushed to more of a DH role or out of the lineup completely. However, in a year where the offensive sparks have been few and far between, pushing away one of the few guys providing them would be a dumb move.

That means that those people would be correct in saying that Ezequiel Duran needs to stay. Aside from Josh Jung, he has been the main spark of the offense for the Rangers. Why take a guy out when he's on the hottest streak of his career? Especially given the fact that his insane month of May has carried into June, as he went 3-4 with one double and an RBI in the team's first game in the Lou.

Now slashing .299/.350/.473, Duran is playing like a man on fire. That, combined with his contributions in the infield, means that there's no way that he should have his role diminished. He and Seager, or he and Smith, should be on the field and in the lineup at the same time, not separately.

The Rangers need to build a competent offense if they hope to emerge atop a crowded AL West. Riding the hot hand with Duran is important toward accomplishing that goal, and the longer it goes on, the clearer it becomes that he's a part of the solution and not the problem

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