Ezequiel Duran DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Texas Rangers infielder Ezequiel Duran may not make the Opening Day roster. According to Kennedi Landry of MLB.com, the 25-year-old is on the outside of the current projected roster. Last summer, the infielder appeared in 92 contests in Texas and held a .246/.288/.321 slash line with 11 doubles and three home runs. Under the hood, he generated a poor .215 xBA with a .252 xwOBA which were both well below the average marks among qualified hitters. However, he was useful on defense as he saw starts in the outfield, third base, second base, first base, and shortstop. During the 2023 season, he was more productive at the plate as he held a .273/.324/.443 line. If he does not make the Opening Day roster, Kevin Pillar and Josh Smith would likely serve as depth options.

Texas Rangers infielder Ezequiel Duran is absent from the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Oakland Athletics. Duran will get a breather after going 6-for-13 at the plate over the weekend series against the Seattle Mariners. The 25-year-old is hitting .253 with three home runs and 20 RBI over 89 games this season. Jonathan Ornelas will cover the hot corner and bat ninth versus right-hander Mitch Spence on Tuesday. The rookie infielder hasn't done much in his short time with the team and can be avoided for fantasy purposes.

The Texas Rangers optioned infielder Ezequiel Duran to Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday and selected the contract of outfielder Derek Hill from Round Rock in a corresponding move. The team also activated infield prospect Justin Foscue (oblique) from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Round Rock. Duran will probably resurface with the Rangers in the big leagues at some point in 2024, but for now he'll head to the minors to work on his craft. The 25-year-old Dominican infielder had a solid first full season in the big leagues in 2023 with the Rangers, slashing .276/.324/.443 with 14 home runs, 46 RBI and eight stolen bases in 122 games, but he's taken a step back this year and is currently slashing .256/.294/.324 with only two home runs and 13 RBI in 187 plate appearances over 58 games played.