The Rangers have a Joc Pederson problem in the middle of the order

When the Texas Rangers called up Joc Pederson from his rehab assignment this weekend, they were hoping he would be like a trade deadline addition without the need to make a trade.

Unfortunately, so far, the first baseman and designated hitter have looked exactly like the guy he was to start the year. That is to say, he's been more of a hindrance than a help to a Rangers offense that has been breaking out since the All-Star break.

Joc Pederson’s slow bat and lineup spot threaten Texas Rangers’ playoff push

When Pederson got hit in the hand with a pitch and broke a bone, he was in the midst of a career-worst season. Slashing just .131/.269/.238/.507 when he went on the IL, Texas Rangers fans hoped that if there was a bright side to the injury, it was that he could hit the reset button after some rest and maybe find the spark that saw him post a career-high 150 OPS+ a year ago.

Unfortunately, after just two rehab outings (despite missing two whole months), the Rangers called him up, and that might have been the first misstep.

Yes, Pederson was racking up hits, but he wasn't dominating minor league pitching by bashing the ball out of the park. Granted, he wasn't really given a chance to do that.

Calling Pederson up before he'd really gotten rolling is just part of the problem. There's also putting him right back in the middle of the order. It's not just that he's 0-for-8 with 3 strikeouts since coming back, but he has unfortunately been the guy who has killed some rallies. That wasn't a big deal when the Rangers were winning 8-1 on Sunday, but on Monday night, one strikeout especially showed a batter who is struggling to catch up to fastballs.

That Joc Pederson is still batting 5th shows that Bruce Bochy is sticking to the idea that a batter who has been a dependable run producer hasn't suddenly forgotten how to hit. Unfortunately, fans are unlikely to be as patient as the Rangers skipper is amid a run that saw the team get back into a playoff position.

Joc Pederson needs to show that his start since coming back to the Texas Rangers is just rust. He needs to show that his start was just slow. And he needs to start hitting before the team loses essential ground.