Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Heads to IL with oblique discomfort
Rotowire
The Rangers placed Duran on the 10-day injured list Saturday with mild right oblique discomfort.
Duran was already set to miss a third consecutive game Saturday in Baltimore due to the injury, and with his injury evidently being viewed as more than a day-to-day concern, the Rangers opted to deactivate him. The transaction is retroactive to Wednesday, meaning that the 24-year-old is eligible to return June 3. Josh Smith or the newly activated Travis Jankowski (hamstring) are the top candidates to replace Duran's spot in the Rangers' everyday lineup.
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Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Remains out of lineup
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Duran (rib) is not in the starting lineup Saturday versus the Orioles.
Duran will miss a third consecutive game as he nurses a rib injury. Manager Bruce Bochy said Saturday that a decision will be made in the next day or so regarding a potential stint on the injury list for the 24-year-old. Robbie Grossman will draw the start at designated hitter while Josh Smith remains in the lineup in left field, batting seventh against Baltimore.
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Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Decision looming this weekend
Rotowire
The Rangers will continue to evaluate Duran (rib) over the weekend, Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News reports.
Texas manager Bruce Bochy said he'll make a call "one way or another" Saturday or Sunday, which likely means a decision about Duran going on the injured list. Duran missed the last two games, clearing a path for Josh Smith to enter the starting lineup.
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Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Held out again Friday
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Duran (rib) remains out of the lineup for Friday's game in Baltimore.
Duran will miss a second straight contest as he battles rib cage soreness. He is considered day-to-day. Robbie Grossman will be the Rangers' designated hitter Friday and Josh Smith will cover left field.
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Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Dealing with rib soreness
Rotowire
Duran is absent from the lineup Wednesday against the Pirates as he nurses rib cage soreness, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Duran was replaced by Brad Miller at the plate in the ninth inning of Tuesday's 6-1 win, and now an explanation behind Duran's departure is known. The 23-year-old believes he's OK, so he can be considered day-to-day heading into the Rangers' series with Baltimore that begins Friday.
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Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Out of lineup Wednesday
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Duran is not in the starting lineup Wednesday versus Pittsburgh, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
After Duran was removed for a pinch hitter in the top of the ninth inning Tuesday, the 23-year-old will be on a bench for the series finale. It's unclear whether his health played a factor in his removal Tuesday and his subsequent absence from the lineup one day later, though more information should be provided Wednesday. Corey Seager will draw the start at designated hitter while Josh Smith starts at shortstop and bats eighth against the Pirates.
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Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Breather Monday
Rotowire
Duran is not in the starting lineup Monday versus the Pirates.
Duran will get a day off after he went 5-for-9 with a homer, a double, two RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base over the three-game series with the Rockies. Duran has quickly become a regular in the Rangers' lineups, batting .314 with five home runs, five doubles, 11 RBI, 13 runs scored and a stolen base over 70 at-bats in 18 games in May. Josh Smith will take over at designated hitter and bat eighth in the series opener with Pittsburgh.
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Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Swats seventh homer
Rotowire
Duran went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in Saturday's 11-5 win over the Rockies.
After contributing an RBI single to the Rangers' four-run first inning, Duran slugged a no-doubter to left field in the fifth off Fernando Abad for his seventh homer of the year. The 23-year-old has been inserted as the DH in two straight games with Corey Seager back at shortstop, and it looks like Bruce Bochy will try to keep Duran's bat in the lineup on an everyday basis -- a fairly easy decision for the manager considering Duran's .328/.366/.627 slash line in May.
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Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Perfect day at plate
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Duran went 3-for-3 with a double and a stolen base during Friday's win over the Rockies.
Duran was perfect at the dish Friday and collected his first three-hit game since May 2. He boosted his slash line to .307/.343/.512 with three steals and 14 extra-base hits through 134 plate appearances this season. The 23-year-old has picked up six of those extra-base knocks over his last seven games.
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Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Gets another day at short
Rotowire
Duran started at shortstop and went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 7-4 win over Atlanta.
Duran's run at shortstop was expected to end Tuesday, but he received a stay when Corey Seager (hamstring) developed a stomach bug and was not activated. Whenever Seager is ready -- the hamstring no longer appears to be an issue -- manager Bruce Bochy will need to find a spot for Duran, who is hitting .301 (22-for-73) with five home runs, three doubles, 14 RBI and 12 runs scored over the last 18 games.
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Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Reaches base three times
Rotowire
Duran went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored in Sunday's 11-3 win over Oakland.
The red-hot hitting Duran continued to produce and is 15-for-49 (.306) with three home runs, three doubles, seven RBI and 10 runs scored over 12 games in May. With the possibility that shortstop Corey Seager (hamstring) could be activated Monday, per Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News, manager Bruce Bochy will need to find a home for Duran's bat.
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Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Homers Saturday
Rotowire
Duran went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 5-0 win over the Athletics.
Duran's two-run shot in the ninth inning provided insurance and allowed manager Bruce Bochy to avoid using closer Will Smith, who's worked a lot this week. It was Duran's fifth homer in 32 games, equaling the number he hit last season over 58 games. He's been starting at shortstop for the injured Corey Seager (hamstring), but the latter played in his third rehab game Saturday and could return as soon as Monday. That means Bochy will have to find a spot for Duran's hot bat, presumably in left field.
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Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Clubs fourth homer
Rotowire
Duran went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run, an additional run scored and three strikeouts in Sunday's 16-8 win over the Angels.
Duran got the Rangers on the board with his blast in the second inning. This was his fifth multi-hit effort in his last nine games, a span in which he has three homers, 10 RBI and a 0:7 BB:K. The infielder raised his slash line to .318/.348/.506 with four homers, 16 RBI, 12 runs scored and two stolen bases through 26 contests this season. He hasn't had a major issue with strikeouts, fanning at a 24.7 percent rate, but he's also drawn just one walk this season.
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Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Smokes go-ahead homer
Rotowire
Duran went 3-for-4 with a double, a two-run home run and an additional run in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Diamondbacks.
The Rangers fell behind 4-1 but took the lead for good with a sixth-inning two-run shot from Duran. With Corey Seager on the 10-day injured list, Duran is getting an extended look at shortstop and delivering nicely with a .328/.357/.522 slash line.
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Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Makes fourth straight start
Rotowire
Duran went 1-for-5 with two RBI in Sunday's 15-2 win over the Yankees.
Duran made a fourth consecutive start and hit safely in all of them. He's 6-for-16 with a home run and six RBI during the hit streak. Duran will continue to share shortstop with the lefty-hitting Josh Smith, while Corey Seager rehabs a hamstring injury, and he has stolen some at-bats from Smith against righties due to a better bat. The opportunities will dry up when Seager returns, which is not expected for at least another two weeks.
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Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Starts at short against righty
Rotowire
Duran started at shortstop and went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Friday's 5-2 win over the Yankees.
Duran got the start against a right-hander (Clarke Schmidt), which is normally a spot for Josh Smith, as the duo continue to fill-in for Corey Seager (hamstring) at shortstop. Texas manager Bruce Bochy's decision to veer from the pattern could be based on offense. Since Seager's injury, Duran is batting .325 (13-for-40) with four extra-base hits and eight RBI, while Smith is hitting .125 (4-for-32) with one RBI.
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Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Continues great start with homer
Rotowire
Duran went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer in Saturday's 2-0 win over the Yankees.
Duran produced the only offense in Saturday's game, as he hammered a Jhony Brito changeup 389 feet. The utility man is rolling to start the season with a .310/.344/.810 slash line. Duran has played multiple games at second base, third base, shortstop and left field this season, though he's seen most of his action at shortstop of late with Corey Seager (hamstring) on the shelf.
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Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Starts at third base
Rotowire
Duran started at third base and went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Yankees.
Duran replaced the injured Josh Jung (hand) and recorded his fourth multi-hit effort over his last nine starts. Jung, who was hit on the left hand during Wednesday's game, took batting practice Thursday and is expected to return Friday.
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Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Enters for Jung
Rotowire
Duran replaced Josh Jung at third base Wednesday after the latter was hit by a pitch on the hand. Duran went 0-for-2 and was caught stealing in a 5-3 loss to the Reds.
X-rays on Jung's hand came back negative for a fracture, and the Rangers are describing the injury as a contusion. That suggests his absence will be minimal. The Rangers begin a series against the Yankees on Thursday and face New York right-hander Gerrit Cole (4-0, 0.79 ERA). If Jung is unable to go, the righty-hitting Duran and lefty-swinging Brad Miller are options for the hot corner.
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Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Hits bench Wednesday
Rotowire
Duran is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.
Duran has hit .400 with four extra-base hits over his last seven games while also adding two stolen bases during that span, so manager Bruce Bochy could have a tough time justifying keeping the 23-year-old out of the lineup moving forward if he continues to produce. For the time being, Duran should at least have a path to a regular role versus left-handed pitching.
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Player Bio
HT/WT: 5-11, 185 lbs
Birthplace: San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic
