Pederson is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Angels.
Pederson is hitless in his past 24 at-bats and has gone 3-for-49 through 14 games this season. Jonah Heim will serve as the designated hitter against Halos lefty Yusei Kikuchi while Kyle Higashioka starts behind the plate.
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Rangers' Joc Pederson: Slump continues
Rotowire
Pederson went 0-for-4 in Saturday's 9-2 loss to Seattle.
Pederson's string of futility reached 22 consecutive at-bats without a hit, dropping his batting average to .077. He had opened the season batting third or fourth but was dropped to fifth Saturday for a second straight start. Texas manager Bruce Bochy was quick to point out the drop was not a concession to Pederson's struggles, but was instead a move to avoid having three consecutive left-handed hitters after Josh Smith was inserted into the third spot in the order with Wyatt Langford (oblique) on the injured list.
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Rangers' Joc Pederson: Mired in slump
Rotowire
Pederson went 0-for-3 with a walk in Friday's 5-3 loss to Seattle.
Pederson extended a hitless streak to 18 at-bats and is batting .086 (.334 OPS) for his new team. After a career-best season in 2024 while with Arizona, he gambled on free agency and won, getting a two-year deal with the Rangers. Texas viewed him as the answer at designated hitter, a position from which it got a league-low .584 OPS in 2024, but it has not yet worked out. Pederson has just one barrel (3.8 barrel percentage) and a career-worst 30.8 hard-hit percentage.
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Rangers' Joc Pederson: Idle against southpaw
Rotowire
Pederson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.
Pederson will take a seat for the second time in the series while the Cubs send another lefty (Shota Imanaga) to the mound. With Pederson on the bench, Jonah Heim will get a day off from catching duties and will serve as the Rangers' designated hitter.
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Rangers' Joc Pederson: Sitting against left-hander
Rotowire
Pederson is absent from the lineup for Monday's game versus the Cubs.
The Rangers are facing a left-hander in Justin Steele for just the second time this season, which means Pederson will begin the contest on the bench. Jonah Heim is starting at designated hitter and Kyle Higashioka is doing the catching for the series opener.
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Rangers' Joc Pederson: Slow start
Rotowire
Pederson went 1-for-2 with a walk and was hit by a pitch in Tuesday's 1-0 win over Cincinnati.
Pederson had a first-inning double but was stranded at second base. The lefty batter is off to a slow start for his new team with Tuesday's double being just his second hit in 15 at-bats.
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Rangers' Joc Pederson: In lineup against righty
Rotowire
Pederson started at designated hitter Friday and went 1-for-3 with a run scored in Friday's 4-1 win over Boston.
Pederson, who was held out of Thursday's season opener against a lefty, was in the lineup against a right-hander. However, Kevin Pillar pinch hit for Pederson with lefty Brennan Bernardino on the bump for the Red Sox in the eighth inning. Texas manager Bruce Bochy may be strict in using Pederson against right-handers only.
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Rangers' Joc Pederson: On bench for opener
Rotowire
Pederson is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Red Sox.
Pederson is expected to serve as the Rangers' primary designated hitter against right-handed pitching this season, but he'll take a seat Thursday while the Red Sox send southpaw Garrett Crochet to the bump. Corey Seager is managing a calf injury and will get a day off from shortstop and step in as Texas' DH.
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Rangers' Joc Pederson: Goes deep again
Rotowire
Pederson started at first base and went 1-for-2 with a home run and three RBI in Wednesday's Cactus League game against Cincinnati.
Pederson walloped a three-run homer in the first inning. It was his third of the Cactus League and second driven to the opposite field. Pederson is expected to mostly see time at DH in 2025, but he'll get opportunities to fill in for Jake Burger at first base.
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Rangers' Joc Pederson: Goes deep Monday
Rotowire
Pederson started at first base and went 1-for-2 with a walk, a three-run home run and an additional run scored in Monday's Cactus League game against the White Sox.
Most of Pederson's contributions came during the Rangers' nine-run first inning. Batting second in the lineup, he walked and scored Texas' second run then finished the scoring with his home run. The Rangers made it a goal to infuse power to the lineup in the offseason and added Pederson (23 homers in 2024) and Jake Burger (29 homers). Pederson should mostly serve as the DH against right-handers but could also spell Burger at first base.
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Rangers' Joc Pederson: Back in camp after illness
Rotowire
Pederson (illness) returned to Rangers camp Wednesday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Pederson was away from the club for a few days while battling the flu, but he's now recovered and ready to resume workouts. The 32-year-old's first Cactus League game might be delayed a bit since he's a tad behind, but he will have plenty of time to get ready for Opening Day.
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Rangers' Joc Pederson: Falls ill
Rotowire
Pederson will be away from Rangers camp for a few days while battling the flu, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
The 32-year-old will get a bit of a late start to spring training, but his bout with the illness shouldn't prevent him from being ready to go for Opening Day. Pederson is slated to serve as Texas' designated hitter against right-handed pitching this season, though Grant relays that the Rangers also intend to give Pederson some work at first base this spring to see if he's capable of making occasional starts at the position when Jake Burger requires a day off.
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Rangers' Joc Pederson: Nets $37 million deal with Rangers
Rotowire
The Rangers signed Pederson to a two-year, $37 million contract Monday, Buster Olney of ESPN reports.
The deal has an opt out after the first year. Pederson is coming off arguably the best offensive season of his career, having slashed .275/.393/.515 with 23 home runs over 132 contests. The left-handed hitting Pederson didn't make a single start against a traditional left-handed starter, and while the Rangers might not be quite as strict as the Diamondbacks were, the overwhelming majority of the 32-year-old's playing time should come at designated hitter versus righties.
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Joc Pederson: Becomes free agent
Rotowire
Pederson declined his $14 million mutual option with the Diamondbacks for 2025 on Saturday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
After setting career highs with a .275 batting average, .393 OBP and .908 OPS, Pederson will accept a $3 million buyout from Arizona and likely look to secure a multi-year contract in free agency.
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Diamondbacks' Joc Pederson: Not starting Sunday
Rotowire
Pederson is absent from Sunday's lineup against San Diego.
The lefty-hitting Pederson will begin Sunday's contest in the dugout with the Padres sending southpaw Martin Perez to the mound. Barring a pinch hit appearance, Pederson will finish his first regular season with Arizona having slashed .275/.393/.515 with 23 home runs and 64 RBI across 444 plate appearances. Randal Grichuk will serve as the designated hitter and bat fifth.
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Diamondbacks' Joc Pederson: Swipes bag in loss
Rotowire
Pederson went 0-for-2 and stole a base in Saturday's 5-0 loss to San Diego.
Pederson was on the back end of a double steal in the sixth inning but was stranded there. The theft was his career-high seventh. Arizona faces a must-win situation Sunday for a chance at the postseason, and the Padres have left-hander Martin Perez scheduled, which means Pederson is not expected to start.
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Diamondbacks' Joc Pederson: Idle versus southpaw
Rotowire
Pederson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies.
Pederson will hit the bench for the series finale while the Rockies send southpaw Austin Gomber to the hill. Randal Grichuk (lower body) will replace Pederson in the lineup as Arizona's designated hitter.
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Diamondbacks' Joc Pederson: Takes seat against lefty
Rotowire
Pederson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.
The lefty-hitting Pederson will take a seat for the series finale while the Brewers send southpaw DL Hall to the bump. Josh Bell will get the starting nod at designated hitter in Pederson's stead.
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Diamondbacks' Joc Pederson: On bench against southpaw
Rotowire
Pederson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers.
Lefty Cody Bradford is on the hill for the Rangers, so the lefty-hitting Pederson will head to the bench in the series finale. Pederson's absence will clear the way for Josh Bell to pick up a start as Arizona's designated hitter.
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Diamondbacks' Joc Pederson: Swats homer in win
Rotowire
Pederson went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 6-0 win over the Rangers.
Pederson has gone 21 games without a multi-hit effort, but he's gotten on base well by drawing 14 walks in that span. The 32-year-old's solo shot Tuesday opened the scoring and gave Arizona all it needed for the win. Pederson is up to 22 homers, 61 RBI, 58 runs scored, six stolen bases and a .282/.404/.536 slash line over 404 plate appearances in his standard strong-side platoon role at designated hitter.
