Perhaps the most perplexing case on the 2026 Texas Rangers belongs to none other than Ezequiel Duran.

Duran has yet to really carve out a role at the big league level since making his MLB debut with Texas in 2022, being acquired from the Yankees in the Joey Gallo trade.

Much like the majority of the roster, 2023 was Duran’s best season as he played in 122 games, mostly filling in for the injured Corey Seager at shortstop.

To say the Rangers wouldn’t have even made the playoffs that season without Duran’s strong play is certainly an understatement.

Duran hit .276 with an OBP of .324 and a slug of .443 with 14 home runs and 46 RBI to go along with it.

Since then, things haven’t been the same at the plate for Duran as he’s bounced around the diamond defensively.

Duran has seen time at first base and in the outfield in addition to playing shortstop, second, and third base.

Ultimately, Duran just hasn’t been able to carve out a role with the Rangers, and that won’t be able to last forever.

Heading into 2026, Duran’s name is certainly not one that is being talked about a ton, and his role on the team will undoubtedly be a question mark.

As camp begins to open in less than a month, it certinally seems that the likes of Josh Smith, Sam Haggerty, and even Cody Freeman are taking up a bulk of the talk where years ago Duran would have been the first name mentioned.

Of course, if the Rangers feel so inclined, they can certainly shop Duran on the trade market as he will no doubt be of some value to a team.

Perhaps Duran would benefit as well from going to a team that can give him more regular playing time than the Rangers have in the last couple of seasons.

However, if the Rangers have held onto him for this long, it certainly seems that they feel some type of way about him.

Over the last couple of seasons and offseasons, there have been several opportunities for Texas to move on from Duran, and yet he has remained.

If, in fact, the Rangers can get some sort of production from Duran, it will no doubt be an unexpected boost to the team.

However, there is certainly a universe where Duran may not be in the organization by the time Opening Day rolls around.

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