SEATTLE - With the game on the line Friday, the Rangers used a sore Josh Smith to hit for Leody Taveras. On Saturday, Taveras sat against George Kirby.
It begs this question: Is Taveras merely in a long slump or is he starting to run out of runway with the Rangers?
“He’s kind of stuck in between right now, between the fastball and the offspeed pitch,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said ahead of Saturday’s game with Seattle. “He’s too talented to be where he is right now. Hopefully, a mental break will help.”
How long of a mental break, though?
Bochy wasn’t committing. Bottom line: The Rangers need offensive help and if they can find it elsewhere for a day, they might just be willing to run with it for a while. Travis Jankowski started in center on Saturday.
“We’ll make that determination after today,” Bochy said.
There is reason to be uncertain. Taveras is currently stuck in a 1 for 33 skid that has dropped his slash line for the season to .214/.285/.326/.610. It ranked 143rd of 151 MLB qualifiers entering Saturday. But the issue extends beyond the current slump. Save for a big May in 2023, you might say it matches his career pattern.
Taveras, still only 25, has now played 390 games for the Rangers and is pushing 1,500 plate appearances. Consider this: When he reaches 400 games, he’ll become just the 14th player over the last 30 years to start his career with the Rangers and reach that threshold with the team. Of those 14 players, he currently would rank 14th in OPS at .663. The two guys just ahead of him might say as much about why the Rangers might start to look for other answers. They are Leonys Martin (.666) and Delino DeShields (.665). Both were given lots of leeway to develop as center fielders. Neither really had long-term success.
Another point to consider: Taveras’ top weapon is his speed. And he hasn’t made as much of it as others with similar ability. He’s one of 11 players to average at least 29 feet per second in sprint speed (at least 500 “competitive sprints,” according to Baseball Savant) since he arrived in the big leagues in 2020. Of those 11, he ranks 10th in steals with only 49 in 61 attempts. His 80% success rate is fine, but the Rangers would like to see him push the issue a little more, especially right now when they are struggling for runs.
This is all becoming more of an issue because Josh Jung is nearing a return from two months on the IL and Josh Smith, who has played third regularly in Jung’s absence, has been the team’s most consistent hitter. When Jung returns, the Rangers will find other places for Smith to play. He did make 14 starts in center at Triple-A in 2022. He’s played left field in the majors.
The point: It’s starting to reach a stage where playing time must be earned; it’s not guaranteed.
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