It has been nearly three years since the Texas Rangers won their first World Series title, and since then, they have failed to even give themselves a chance to get back to that point. 

After finishing with an 80-82 record this season, the Rangers went home for the fall and winter months once again. It was the third time in a row they missed the playoffs and the second time in the three seasons since making it to the World Series and winning it all that they finished with a losing record.

Texas had its chances in a very weak American League West Division, but it could not do what was needed to secure a playoff spot. Now, players from that World Series team, such as Nathan Eovaldi and Corey Seager, are showing their age, and it is not clear whether or not the younger players are ready to take the reins.

Wyatt Langford is among the youngsters who have the talent to take over, but is it in the cards for him?

Langford, 24, entered the 2026 season after a productive sophomore campaign in 2025 in which he appeared in 134 games and posted a .241 batting average, a .344 on-base percentage, a .431 slugging percentage and a .775 OPS with 22 home runs and 62 RBIs.

There was excitement surrounding what Langford could do for the Rangers in 2026, but it did not take long for him to start dealing with injuries that hindered him.

On April 22, Langford was placed on the 10-day Injured List with a right forearm strain, an injury that kept him off the field for Texas until June 5. Langford remained on the field for nearly the rest of June after returning, playing in 20 games. 

Over that span, he had a dominant month in which he posted a .317 batting average, a .371 on-base percentage, a .634 slugging percentage and a whopping 1.005 OPS with seven home runs in 82 at-bats. However, on June 28, he went back on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain.

His time away was not nearly as long as it was when he injured his forearm, but it was time missed nonetheless. In July, Langford was still productive, posting a .274/.312/.507 slash line with a .819 OPS and four home runs in 18 games, but the decline from that point forward was noticeable and concerning.

In August, Langford stayed healthy and appeared in 28 games, but his batting average plummeted to .189, and his OPS fell sharply to .674. In September, things got even worse at the plate.

The pressure was ramping up for the Rangers in September as they were desperately fighting with the Houston Astros for control of the AL West, and they needed Langford at his best. However, he could not provide that version for his team.

Sure, Langford was healthy, appearing in 24 games, but his numbers fell even more as he posted a .185/.337/.309 slash line with a .646 OPS in 81 at-bats. He also struck out 29 times, which was by far the most of any month during the season.

It is certainly concerning, given how talented Langford is, that he could not step up for Texas in the most crucial part of the season. Overall, he finished the year having played in 110 games and posting a .238 batting average with a .754 OPS and 17 home runs with 44 RBIs.

In almost every category, Langford's numbers were worse than they were the season prior. The good news is that he is only 24 years old, and there is time to figure it out, but the Rangers will need him to be better moving forward, especially at the end of the season.