Opening Day for the 2026 Texas Rangers is on March 26, 2026, at Philadelphia against the Phillies. Ten days away from Opening Day, it seems like we have a pretty good idea what the Opening Day roster is going to look like.
On the position player side, things have seemed pretty well set since Andrew McCutchen signed. Yes, McCutchen got a minor league deal, not a major league deal, but he’s Andrew McCutchen. Even at the age of 39 and coming off of a 95 wRC+ season, he’s not someone you’re bringing to
camp to as an insurance policy or to kick the tires on. You’re signing Andrew McCutchen because you’re planning on him being on your 2026 roster.
Had McCutchen come to camp and struggled, then maybe the Rangers would have had a decision to make. But McCutchen has torn it up in five Cactus League games so far, slashing .586/.706/.833, and while you aren’t going to make a decision based on five spring games, that performance thusfar certainly helps McCutchen solidfy his hold on a roster spot.
McCutchen will presumably be platooning at DH with Joc Pederson, who had an awful 2025 season and hasn’t been good in 2026. Pederson is getting reps at first base as the Rangers look to provide manager Skip Schumaker additional lineup flexibility, and he’s going to get a chance to get going in 2026, though his leash won’t be as long as it was last year.
So barring injury, the Rangers seem set with Danny Jansen and Kyle Higashioka behind the plate, Jake Burger, Josh Smith, Corey Seager, Josh Jung and Ezequiel Duran in the infield, Evan Carter, Wyatt Langford, Brandon Nimmo and Sam Haggerty in the outfield, and Pederson and McCutchen platooning at DH. Smith was nominally competing for the second base job, a competition he’s clearly won at this point. Duran’s spot as the utility infielder likely was locked up when Cody Freeman, his primarily competition for the job, went down with an injury. Tyler Wade is still hanging around, but I’m not sure that the Rangers would see any compelling need to clear a 40 man roster spot and send Duran down to give Wade a major league job.
On the pitching side, the first four rotation spots seem set, with Nathan Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom, MacKenzie Gore and Jack Leiter. Jacob Latz and Kumar Rocker are each fighting for the fifth spot in the rotation, with Latz seemingly having the edge, although his usefulness in the bullpen could result in him going to the pen and Rocker getting the fifth starter spot, especially as it is anticipated (hoped?) that Cody Bradford will be ready to join the rotation in May.
Most of the spots in the bullpen also seem locked in. Robert Garcia, Chris Martin, Jakob Junis, Tyler Alexander, and Jalen Beeks are all safe. Cole Winn is out of options and Carter Baumler is a Rule 5 pick, so both have to be on the roster or potentially be lost, and each has pitched well enough that you figure the Rangers will keep them around to start the season.
Which leaves one spot up for grabs. That would potentially be going to Latz, if Rocker gets the fifth starter spot. If not Latz, Luis Curvelo is the pitcher on the 40 man roster who would seem to have the inside track. Aside from Latz and Curvelo, the options would seem to be a bevy of NRI arms. Ryan Brasier is a veteran who has veteranocity. Patrick Murphy impressed the Rangers last year in camp, got hurt, and then spent half the year in Korea. Josh Sborz is back, but his velocity isn’t, and while he’s had decent results this spring, I don’t think he’s a viable major league reliever if he’s only throwing 94 mph. And of course, the Rangers could end up with a late waiver claim or minor trade acquisition filling that spot.
So as things stand now, the only real questions appear to be, who the fifth starter will be and who will get the last bullpen spot, with the answer to the first question possibly answering the second question.
From a 40 man roster standpoint, the Rangers will need to add McCutchen, and possibly would need to add a reliever, depending on who ends up earning that final spot. Michel Otanez and Dairon Blanco would seem the most likely candidates to be designated for assignment to open those spots up — but then, I said that last week, when the news broke that the Rangers were signing Jalen Beeks, and Alexis Diaz got dropped instead.
