PHOENIX — Joc Pederson was out of the Texas Rangers lineup Sunday with a hard brace on a still-swollen left hand, and the club had not decided whether its designated hitter goes on the injured list, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reported before the series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
Pederson was hit by a full-count fastball from Arizona right-hander Brandon Pfaadt in the fifth inning Saturday night, an inning Texas turned into six runs on the way to a 6-2 win. He stayed in to run the bases. Justin Foscue pinch-hit for him the next time the spot came up, with Pfaadt still on the mound.
X-rays Saturday came back negative. The Rangers were unwilling to treat that as a clearance, because the wrist holds a number of small bones that swelling can hide on an X-ray, and they were waiting on results from a CT scan, Grant reported. Pederson saw an Arizona-based hand specialist on Sunday.
Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Saturday night that the negative X-rays would not settle it and that Pederson would go through further testing, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reported.
“If this is a day-to-day thing, then it’s based on how he feels gripping a bat and swinging,” Schumaker said. “Where he got hit, it’s going to potentially take a little bit of time because of the swelling. We’ll see what happens in the next couple days.”
Joc Pederson’s Injured List Decision Comes Due Wednesday
Texas can afford to wait a couple of days if there is no break, Grant reported. The Rangers face left-handers Tuesday and Wednesday to open the Boston series, and Pederson would not be needed in the starting lineup until Thursday against right-hander Sonny Gray.
To backdate a 10-day injured list move to Sunday, Texas would have to make it by Wednesday. A placement dated Sunday would set the earliest return at Sept. 23, a day on which the Rangers would have five games left. Texas closes with three games against the New York Mets at Globe Life Field and three at the Minnesota Twins, and the regular season ends Sept. 27.
The Rangers recalled outfielder Alejandro Osuna from Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday and optioned infielder/outfielder Cam Cauley to Round Rock, a swap the club made with Pederson’s status unresolved. Osuna gives Texas a left-handed bat off the bench. Infielder Nicky Lopez also left Saturday’s game, with a hamstring issue, and was out of the lineup alongside Pederson.
Joc Pederson Is Tied For The Texas Rangers Home Run Lead
Pederson has hit 26 home runs in 136 games this season, tied with first baseman Jake Burger for the team lead. He is batting .235/.329/.487 with 53 RBIs, 49 walks, and 102 strikeouts. His OPS+ sits at 134.
In his first season with Texas, Pederson batted .181/.285/.328 with 9 home runs and 26 RBIs across 96 games. That year was interrupted in May, when a pitch fractured his right hand and cost him two months.
Pederson signed for two years and $37 million before the 2025 season, with a mutual option for 2027. Baseball Reference lists his 2026 salary at $21.25 million and has him reaching free agency in 2027.
Texas entered Sunday 73-76, second in the American League West and 2 games behind the Houston Astros, and 2 games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the third American League wild card. Baseball Reference put the Rangers’ postseason odds at 10.0%.
The Rangers return home Tuesday to open a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT.
