First baseman Jake Burger, one of the club’s key offseason acquisitions, is being demoted to Triple-A Round Rock.
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Rangers are reportedly making a significant roster move, at least for the time being.
First baseman Jake Burger, one of the club’s key offseason acquisitions, is being demoted to Triple-A Round Rock after a rough start through the first month of the season, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported Thursday.
The Rangers are expected to call up first baseman Blaine Crim in Burger’s place.
Burger isn’t the only Ranger struggling so far — the team is at or near the bottom of most offensive categories, and they’re coming off a 3-0 loss to the Athletics on Thursday.
But Burger, as Rosenthal reported, will get a “reset” in the minors. He’s batting .190 with just eight extra-base hits and three walks. He also has 32 strikeouts in 108 plate appearances.
Burger’s never been a hitter for average — he’s batted exactly .250 in each of the last three seasons — but he was expected to provide some pop in the Rangers’ lineup, replacing Nathaniel Lowe, who was traded to the Nationals for reliever Robert Garcia in the offseason. Burger was acquired in a trade with the Marlins in which the Rangers sent prospects Maximo Acosta, Brayan Mendoza and Echedry Vargas to Miami.
Burger, who hit 34 homers in 2023 and 29 in 2024, hasn’t provided that pop that so far. He’s one of three Texas regulars with a negative Wins Above Replacement mark, joining Joc Pederson and Marcus Semien.
Pederson, who signed a free agent deal with the Rangers in the offseason, is struggling the most, batting just .108 (8-for-74) with no homers on the season.
The Rangers sit at 16-16 with a three-game series against the American League West-leading Seattle Mariners in Arlington this weekend.
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