Rangers Takeaways: Locking Down Center Field

The Texas Rangers lost two out of three at the Houston Astros in a series that ended on Thursday. Here are three takeaways from the series.

‘I Can’t Take Him Out

That’s what Rangers manager Chris Woodward said about Leody Taveras on Wednesday night. And he’s right — he can’t take him out.

Taveras had a career-high five RBI on Wednesday. Now, Taveras is batting .296/.329/.440/.770 with three home runs and 25 RBI. The biggest jump is his ability to drive in runs. In his previous two Major League seasons — which featured 293 at-bats — Taveras drove in a combined 15 runs.

When the Rangers sent Taveras down to the minors, this was the player they were hoping to get in return. Not just one that would play a consistently great center field, which he’s doing. They wanted a player who would be consistent at the plate, too. A month ago, the jury might have been out. Now, it’s not.

The Rangers signed him out of the Dominican Republic in July of 2015 for a $2.6 million signing bonus. Seven years later, he’s now the player they signed. And, center field is now a closed item on the Rangers’ future, barring injury.

More Pitching Injuries

Spencer Howard is on the 15-day injured list and will miss Friday’s start. After Thursday's game, the Rangers announced what they would do with Howard's spot, at least this time through. 

The Rangers will go the bullpen game route and start Josh Sborz against Seattle. 

The Rangers were not in a position to reset their rotation. They don’t have an off day until Aug. 25. 

The bullpen game is a curious choice, considering how much the Rangers have used the bullpen lately. But the Rangers didn't have many options on the active roster. The three pitchers the Rangers could have started on Friday — Taylor Hearn, Brock Burke and Matt Moore — all pitched on Wednesday.

The Rangers' only other option was Triple-A, and the most likely choice would have been former first-round pick Cole Winn, who would have pitched on six days' rest if he had been called up. 

For now, we wait to see Winn in Arlington. It's still a possibility this season. 

When will Josh Jung Arrive?

The Rangers’ No. 2 prospect got back on the field at Triple-A and hit a home run in his first game with the Express on Tuesday. When spring training started, the Rangers had hope that Jung could claim a roster spot. But his torn labrum took care of that.

Now that he’s back, the moment may be coming for the Rangers to finally bring Jung to Arlington.

The Rangers need to put Jung on the 40-man roster at some point before the Rule 5 Draft to protect him from being selected by another team. Doing so this season and calling him up to Arlington gives him a chance to get a taste for playing in the Majors before 2023, when he’ll get a chance to prove he can be the full-time third baseman.

For now, Ezequiel Duran and Josh Smith have been sharing time at third base as they build their case for full-time roster spots in 2023. But Jung’s power makes him a great fit for third base, and the investment the Rangers have made in him — and the patience they’ve shown with his injuries — give him a leg up on both.

When? Barring injury, post-Labor Day seems like the right time to call him up and give him starts in the season’s final month.

You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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