Duran Learning Ropes at DH With Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers are expected to start Ezequiel Duran in the field for Monday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. That will probably be a welcome development for Duran.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy described Duran as “in-between” right now when asked about Duran’s performance at the plate.

“He’s probably a little more aggressive than he normally is,” Bochy said. “He’s getting outside the strike zone.”

It may have everything to do with whether Duran is the designated hitter or is playing in the field.

On Sunday, Duran was the DH for the Rangers against Cleveland, and he went 0-for-2. It seemed to underscore a recent trend. Since five consecutive multi-hit games June 25-29, Duran is hitting .158 with 16 strikeouts in nine games, which dropped his average from .326 to .300.

In eight of those games, Duran was the DH.

Bochy admitted he sees a difference between how Duran performs at the plate when he’s in the field or the DH. The splits back that up.

In 17 games as the DH, Duran is batting .266 with three home runs and 10 RBI. He has struck out 22 times and walked just once.

At his primary position of left field, for example, Duran has played 21 games with a .324 average, three homers, and seven RBI. In 26 games at shortstop, he’s batting .307 with five home runs and 16 RBI. Most of that came with Corey Seager out for a month with a hamstring injury.

It’s a struggle Bochy says he sees a lot in younger players and older players alike.

“I think players just feel they’re more in the flow of the game when they’re out there playing,” he said. “When you’re not out there, you’re not focusing on defense. When you’re on defense you can forget about the hitting part because it’s got to be all about defense. If you’re the DH, you’re sitting there waiting for an extra at-bat in two or three innings.”

The phenomenon is not limited to young players. Mitch Garver is batting .179 as a DH and .371 as a catcher this season.

The solution seems easy — play Duran in the field more. The problem is that Bochy and the Rangers have quality outfield depth. Travis Jankowski started all three games in left against Cleveland and aside from being a superior defender, he’s in the midst of a career offensive season, with a .328 batting average and .848 OPS.

Robbie Grossman can play both corner infield positions, can DH, and is a switch-hitter, which gives Bochy matchup flexibility.

Bochy doesn’t have a set DH in this lineup. He flips players in and out of the position based on matchups. For now, Duran is going to have to find a way to optimize his games as a DH.

“He’s got a lot of energy,” Bochy said. “So when you’re playing DH, he’s probably looking for something to do with it. It will get better the more he does it.”