Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker walks to the dugout after making player substitutions during a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Friday, May 29, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
LM Otero/AP Photo/LM Otero
ARLINGTON — The Rangers reached a significant stage of the season Friday, though we’re not exactly sure which it is.
Could be Message Sending Moment.
Or it could be Desperation Decision Time.
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By optioning Josh Smith to the minors, somewhere he hasn’t been since 2022, and adding Jarred Kelenic, a former top-10 pick already teetering on journeyman status before he turns 27, one could very possibly conclude it was a little of both. And one wouldn’t necessarily be wrong.
They aren’t playing well. They are falling behind early, which isn’t entirely the hitters’ fault, and it gives them the look of an already-defeated team, lacking energy. There are still six weeks to the trade deadline, so too early to sell, but not too early to panic. So, yeah, to all of it.
“We need to get going,” manager Skip Schumaker said as his team prepared to open a series with San Diego after being swept by Minnesota. “We’re going to do whatever we can to spark this thing. Obviously, it’s been a tough last couple of games. We need to find some sort of spark and some sort of energy to get this thing going in the right direction. And we felt like hopefully, with the addition of Jarred, that will provide something.”
On the surface, the fact that the Rangers are saying this about a guy who has played 43 games over the last two years, who has a .656 career OPS and who was released by the White Sox a month into the season says a whole lot, and none of it good, about the moment.
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But the Rangers were intrigued by Kelenic in the offseason, believed he’s made some significant adjustments and watched him put together a 1.051 OPS in two weeks at Round Rock. He impressed them with his level of preparation and his willingness to work his way back. They loved his grit, which is a word you are likely to hear a lot more over the coming weeks. If the Rangers turn the page on the current roster, expect them to make “grit” — a nebulous baseball term used to describe players who go all out, play aggressively and take every opportunity available to score runs — a priority.
It is something the Rangers believe Smith had in abundance when he was acquired from the New York Yankees in 2021. They still rave about how hard he went after a pop fly in a minor league spring training game they were scouting.
But they feel they haven’t seen that from Smith in a while. That’s OK, if a guy is performing, but he hasn’t. This year there have been extenuating circumstances, a wrist injury and a scary bout with viral meningitis among them. But he has a .564 OPS in his 117 plate appearances this year. Over the last calendar year, comprising 435 plate appearances, it’s .606, which is the sixth-worst among 209 players with at least 400 plate appearances. That can’t continue.
Smith either has to hit or find other ways to contribute, you know, with grit. So maybe he can find that in the red clay at Round Rock.
Texas Rangers infielder Josh Smith watches from the bench during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Globe Life Field on Monday, May 11, 2026, in Arlington.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
“The message was that we need to get him going, that we need him to be successful up here to help us win games,” Schumaker said. “The kid has had a rough start to the year. There was the slow start, the injury and the sickness. You really feel for him. I’m hoping everyday playing time will get him going.”
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But this goes further than that. There is opportunity here for Kelenic. He will play left field for the time being against right-handed hitters and Wyatt Langford will slide over to center. The Rangers had previously been reticent to do that.
It’s significant because Evan Carter is sitting out there on the IL, maybe for as little as another week, maybe a bit longer. But for as good as Carter’s defense has been, his hitting has been, well, nonexistent. His splits against lefties have already made him a platoon player for the foreseeable future. His OPS of .613 ranks 180th of 197 players with 200 plate appearances this year.
You see where we are going with this. The Rangers need offense. They’ve already shown they are willing to send down a player with significant major league experience to get it right. No reason they might not take even more drastic measures, too.
Whether that comes via a move of desperation, a move with a message or both, they really don’t care.
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They just need to get going.