With Less Than a Month From Opening Day 2026, Who Will Start for the Texas Rangers?
Baseball fans, Opening Day is almost upon us! The Texas Rangers’ home opener will be against the Cincinnati Reds on April 3rd at Globe Life Field. The Rangers went through quite a shakeup this offseason, as they parted ways with fan favorites Marcus Semien and Jonah Heim. Heim and Semien were key starters for the Rangers during their 2023 World Series Championship run, but the clubhouse and dugout believe the pieces they brought in can help them at least taste that 2023 season again and spark some life back in Arlington.
The infield will still include the former two-time World Series MVP Corey Seager, utility man Josh Smith, Josh Jung, and Jake Burger, who’s returning to form after having offseason wrist surgery. What’s great about having Smith in the infield is that he can start anywhere and has stayed on the field. He is versatile and has been dubbed the utility man because he can play second, third, first, and shortstop. Jung hopes to return to his 2023 statistical performance and secure the third base position. The Rangers are hoping Seager stays healthy, as throughout his time in Arlington, he’s been plagued by the injury bug.
The outfield is riddled with a mix of high-upside young talent alongside veteran additions. Expect Wyatt Langford to start in left field, speedster Evan Carter, who’s returning from a wrist injury and a lingering back injury that bothered him throughout 2025, to return to center field, and the newly acquired Brandon Nimmo to be the primary right fielder. Some of the young talent that can give the stars a day off or two throughout the season are Sam Haggerty and Michael Helman, who had their moments in 2025 and can provide relief and coverage for all three outfield positions. Alejandro Osuna, who’s currently getting some big-league practice outside of Spring Training, representing Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, can serve as an injury replacement if one of the starters gets hurt, and will primarily be starting in Triple-A until he gets called up. Lastly, Ezequiel Duran can see some reps in the outfield. He’s more of a dugout guy, who usually takes on the designated hitting, or plays the same role as Haggerty, Helman, and goes in for relief. Duran can also play in the infield, as he has played third base and first base. Andrew McCutchen is also in play as he can help out the young stars with his veteran wisdom as a player who’s accomplished so much in his career.
The starting lineup for the Rangers is rounded out with the starting pitchers, who will be MacKenzie Gore, Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, and Jack Leiter. The fifth spot will either belong to Jacob Latz or Kumar Rocker. Latz and Rocker had good showings in Spring Training, and it’s ultimately up to Skip Schumaker to decide who he wants in the last rotation spot. All in all, this team on paper is scary; the bats are there with tons of talent and have the potential to score runs, something that haunted the Rangers in 2025. If the starting pitching can stay healthy and pitch six to seven innings, it makes things a lot easier for the team to cross the finish line and get wins they’re expected to win and not blow leads, which also haunted the Rangers last year. Regardless, expect this team to have some fun and be a dark-horse playoff candidate this season.
