Joc Pederson Update Surfaces After Removal From Rangers' Lineup

Joc Pederson Update Surfaces After Removal From Rangers' Lineup originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Texas Rangers have lost four consecutive games and now face an uphill battle toward making the postseason with a 61–63 record, sitting 5.5 games out of a playoff spot.

The offense has been a disappointment all season long, with notable free agent signing Joc Pederson spending the year underperforming or out with injury.

Over his last 30 plate appearances, the 33-year-old veteran has shown signs of life, posting a .240 batting average, .887 OPS, and two home runs.

His power numbers were the reason Texas signed him to a two-year, $37 million contract in the offseason, and the Rangers will hope his recent success will continue in a crucial second half of the season.

Rangers Remove Joc Pederson From Sunday’s Lineup

Ahead of Sunday’s series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays, Pederson was listed as the starter at designated hitter and batting fourth against right-hander Jose Berrios going for Toronto.

However, moments later, the team announced a revised lineup with Rowdy Tellez slotted in Pederson’s spot at DH. An update surfaced that his removal was not due to anything health-related.

"Joc Pederson is out of the lineup, Rowdy Tellez is in at designated hitter. I’m told there’s no health issues with Pederson," wrote Shawn McFarland of Dallas News.

Joc Pederson is out of the lineup, Rowdy Tellez is in at designated hitter. I’m told there’s no health issues with Pederson. https://t.co/mON9LLJTPe

— Shawn McFarland (@McFarland_Shawn) August 17, 2025

Rangers Need Pederson to Deliver on $37M Contract

This is good news for the Rangers, who already missed Pederson’s services in the lineup for two months when he was on the injured list from May 24 and was not activated until late July.

Overall, his first year in Texas has still been extremely disappointing—even in a small sample size—as he has a .146 batting average and .547 OPS, which are both by far the lowest marks of his career.

Texas will rely on Pederson to live up to his lucrative contract and hope that his removal is just a one-day absence, as they try to get back on track and make a late push toward the postseason.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 17, 2025, where it first appeared.