Joc Pederson’s next step toward the Texas lineup came with a bat that weighed barely more than a practice prop. In the Rangers’ clubhouse at Globe Life Field on Thursday, the designated hitter carried a Wiffle ball bat weighing about 12 ounces, a sharp reduction from the roughly 33-ounce lumber he normally uses.
Four days earlier, Pederson could not grip even that. By Thursday, he could hold it and move it around, an encouraging sign as Texas enters the final 10 days of the regular season still chasing a postseason spot.
Pederson has been sidelined since taking a 93.3 mph four-seam fastball from Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt in the fifth inning of Saturday’s victory. He remained in the game long enough to run the bases after manager Skip Schumaker and head athletic trainer Matt Lucero checked on him at first base, but was later replaced by a pinch-hitter.
Initial X-rays did not reveal a problem. Follow-up imaging with a hand specialist, however, confirmed a fracture in Pederson’s left hand.
A small step with a light bat
Pederson said the improvement from Wednesday to Thursday was substantial, though he is not yet certain when he can progress to regular batting work.
“Yesterday I tried to hold a bat and couldn’t,” Pederson said. “I’ve been using a hyperbaric chamber and doing other things that may be helping the recovery. Today, I was able to hold one. I don’t know exactly what is working, but I’m trying everything. It was much better today than yesterday. I still don’t know when I can swing a real bat against real baseballs, but it is in a far better place than it was four days ago.”
The Rangers have not used Pederson since the Arizona game, although a run of opposing left-handed starters also limited the situations in which the left-handed hitter would have been in the starting lineup.
The club’s hope is that reduced swelling will let Pederson test his pain tolerance and potentially return before the season closes. Pederson said the early sharp pain has given way to a duller ache, and he believes activity will not worsen the fracture itself.
Texas watching the swelling and the pain
Schumaker saw Thursday as a meaningful turn, even if the bat was nowhere close to game equipment.
“It was a much better day,” Schumaker said. “He held a bat in his hand, even though it was a Wiffle ball bat. That was encouraging. He was able to move it around, and it was a lot better than the day before. If those are major improvements instead of small ones, I’m very optimistic. It comes down to pain tolerance. He has a fracture in his wrist area, but the swelling was the biggest concern, and that has come down.”
Pederson has already dealt with a similar interruption during his first Texas season. He missed time in 2025 after suffering a fracture in his right hand when he was hit by a pitch.
This year, he has formed the left-handed side of the Rangers’ designated-hitter arrangement with right-handed hitter Justin Foscue. Against right-handed pitching, Pederson has produced a .245/.338/.496 line with 25 home runs, making any late return a potentially important addition for Texas down the stretch.
