As the Texas Rangers head into the offseason, there are some positions that will require more attention than others.
One of those positions is designated hitter. Joc Pederson has been the DH for the last two seasons against right-handed pitching. Since the Rangers face right-handed pitching 80% of the time, that works out. While he picked up his offensive numbers in 2026 after an injury-ravaged 2025, he's cost-prohibitive to bring back.
Fortunately, the Rangers have internal options to replace him. Chances are the Rangers will look to rotate hitters through the DH spot, as opposed to having one player man it most games. Here are three of the options, all of which will cost far less than the near-$20 million Texas paid Pederson in 2026.
Texas Rangers second baseman Justin Foscue. Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Justin Foscue came into this own this season. He got regular playing time for the first time since his MLB debut in 2024. He was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on May 5 and eventually displaced Andrew McCutchen as the right-handed DH against left-handed pitching. He slashed .324/.395/.586 against lefties with a .981 OPS. He generated eight home runs and 27 RBI from that side.
He's not a platoon-proof hitter yet. He slashed .175/.212/.300 against right-handed pitching and he batted less than .230 with two runners on base (though .400 with the bases loaded). He was also a better hitter away from home (.297) than at home (.243). He gives Texas flexibility as both a DH and infielder.
Texas Rangers left fielder Alejandro Osuna. Credit: Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The second-year outfielder brings a different skill set to the DH position. He doesn't have much power, but he brings average, on-base and the ability to hit left-handed pitching as a left-handed hitter.
This season he slashed .260/.349/.304 in 84 games. He only hit one home run. Against left-handers he slashed .311/.367/.311 and against right-handers he slashed .245/.344/.302. He doesn't bring Foscue's power but he's closer to being platoon-proof.
Like Foscue, he has flexibility as an outfielder who can play all three positions. Texas is likely to carry him as a fourth or fifth outfielder next season, which makes him a potential rotation player at DH.
Texas Rangers pinch hitter Logan O'Hoppe. Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
When the Rangers brought O'Hoppe back up in August, he was used as a DH even though he's primarily a catcher. The Rangers were covered there so they could rotate him in against left-handed pitching, where he slashed .284/.322/.333. Like Foscue, he didn't hit right-handers well, as he slashed .188/.253/.288. But he generated all his home runs against right-handers.
There are two problems the Rangers are going to tackle with O'Hoppe. The first is his catching. He needs work defensively behind the plate, which is part of the reason he wasn't initially added to the Rangers' roster after he was acquired via trade in July. The other is his bat - at the MLB level. He hasn't finished a season batting better than .220 since 2024.
If he's going to have value as a rotational DH - or even a tandem catcher with Danny Jansen - both of those things will have to get better. He slashed .260/.368/.469 in the minors this season.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/rangers/onsi as Three Internal Candidates to Solve One of the Texas Rangers' Biggest Problems .
