"Second base has actually been Smith's least-frequent position of the many in which he's dabbled at the MLB level. He's played just 41 innings there, although part of the reason for that is Semien's iron man status at the position. Semien missed a total of four games over his first three seasons in Texas, leaving few opportunities for anyone else at second base."
"Duran and Freeman both remain with the organization and are on the 40-man roster. That's also true of former first-round pick Justin Foscue. Anyone from that group could step up and grab a more prominent role at second base, but none of that group has hit nearly as well as Smith in the majors. Duran showed some promise in 2023 but has hit just .237/.278/.309 in 504 plate appearances dating back to 2024."
Marcus Semien's departure after the Marcus Semien-for-Brandon Nimmo swap left a second-base vacancy in Arlington that the Rangers intend to address internally. Josh Smith, a 28-year-old left-handed swinger and former second-round pick, emerges as a top candidate for regular second-base duty against right-handed pitching after slashing .254/.336/.380 (107 wRC+) with 23 homers, 53 doubles and 23 steals over the last two seasons. Smith has rarely played second in the majors due to Semien's durability, having only 41 innings there. Ezequiel Duran, Cody Freeman and Justin Foscue remain in-house options, though none has matched Smith's MLB production.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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