Andrew McCutchen he hit the bullseye in his bid to make the Rangers’ Opening Day roster, as the veteran has a .583/.706/.833 slash line over 17 Cactus League plate appearances. Nothing is guaranteed for Cutch as he is in camp on a minor league contract, but the 39-year-old is using the poor end to his time with the Pirates as motivation.
“I have not been in this position, in a place where there is so much doubt from other people in a very long time. I’m motivated in a different way,” McCutchen told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.I remember receiving invitations to spring training when I was 20-21 years old, knowing that I would not make the team, but I had a way that I wanted to show that I can do this here, regardless of age. This is kind of the same thing, only the seasons are different. I want to show people that I can continue to play this game at the highest level.”
McCutchen’s second stint in Pittsburgh began with two above-average offensive seasons, but he hit an all-time .239/.333/.367 over 551 PA in 2025, translating to a 95 wRC+ and a slight (-0.1 fWAR) first in his Major League career. Hitting in a pitcher-friendly environment like PNC Park has never been easy for hitters, though McCutchen noted that “we had the same ballpark effect the Rangers had last year, that the ball wasn’t going to left field. You weren’t getting the prize very often and I was trying to find ways to improve the numbers. How can I get hits? How can I get to the base? How can I work math? I put my body in the wrong places.”
“I needed to get back to basics and put myself in the best 39 shape I could find. And, honestly, I feel like I’m in a better place than I’ve been in a few years.”
Despite the limited production, it was still considered that McCutchen would re-sign with the Pirates as there seemed to be an illegal agreement that the veteran would finish his career wearing the Pittsburgh uniform. As McCutchen puts it, “I was fine with doing that, and I wanted that. The other side also spoke well of wanting to do that, but they wanted to do it quickly.”
The lack of response or communication from the Pirates led to McCutchen venting his frustration on social media in late January. The Bucs then signed Marcell Ozuna in early February, and Ozuna’s use in the DH role likely closed the door on McCutchen’s remaining opportunities in Pittsburgh.
Should McCutchen come out of camp with the Rangers, he may get more playing time outside of the Pirates, but he will likely still be used as the right side of the DH team. Joc Pederson. Of course, this assumes that Pederson will hit well enough to hold his own in the lineup, which is no guarantee as the veteran slugger tries to bounce back from a disappointing year.
After signing a two-year, $37MM free agent deal with Texas last winter, Pederson hit just .181/.285/.328 over 306 PA. He got off to a cold start even before missing two months with a broken hand, and hit better after returning from the injured list in late July.
Pederson told Kennedy Landry of MLB.com that “minds of not playing well for a long time” contributed to his inability to get out of his funk.Even in the second half when I came back, things started to go the right way, but still I wasn’t where I wanted to be….We have a lot of goals, so everything will be geared towards that, how to contribute to a successful team, how to be a productive player above average..”
An offseason with Rangers hitting coach Justin Viele can hopefully get Pederson back on track, even though the numbers haven’t been up to Pederson in Spring Training. The $18.5MM salary owed to Pederson in 2027 gives the Rangers an incentive to give him more time at the plate, though another extended decline could lead to serious questions about Pederson’s playing time (or even roster spot). Another DH candidate like McCutchen could emerge, or Texas may want to give more players a shot at DH at-bats to help keep the pitching staff young.
In other injury news from team camp, catcher Kyle Higashioka expected to be back in action tomorrow, manager Skip the Schumaker he told Evan Grant and other reporters. A strained back has kept Higashioka out of games since March 5, though he has returned to work catching and hitting against live pitching. Assuming there are no issues with his return to the field, Higashioka should have plenty of time to step up and be ready for Opening Day.
Higashioka and the new signings Danny Jansen will share catcher duties with the Rangers this season. Another free agent signing through the 2024-25 offseason, Higashioka’s first two-year, $13.5MM contract resulted in a .241/.291/403 slash line and 11 homers over 327 PA (93 wRC+).
