ARLINGTON -- Alejandro Osuna didn’t have to wait too long for his first big league hit, nor his second, both of which came off two-time All-Star Kevin Gausman in the Rangers' loss to the Blue Jays on Monday.
“After the hit, I was ‘OK, I did it. Now I can focus on the game,’” Osuna said. “I was getting a little bit nervous thinking about it a lot. After that, it was normal.”
Osuna -- the club’s No. 7-ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline -- made his MLB debut on Sunday in Chicago and went hitless but drew a walk and made a diving catch in the outfield to save a run.
When he finally collected his first hit on Monday, his twin brother, sister, mom and girlfriend were all in attendance.
“They asked how I was doing, if I was nervous,” Osuna said. “I told them no, I feel relaxed. I trust in myself. They were very nervous. My mom was crying, my girlfriend was crying. My twin brother was like, ‘I’m more nervous than you.’ That was funny. We played together and he said ‘Brother, this was our dream and you’re doing it. I’m so happy for you.’”
In a short amount of time with the big league club, the 22-year-old has looked calm as ever. Originally signed as an international free agent in October 2020, Osuna has slowly risen through the ranks of the farm system over the last few years.
But with baseball in his blood, reaching the big leagues was never all that far off for him.
“He’s going to get a lot of playing time up here,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “We didn't bring him up to sit. He is comfortable. I think that’s part of growing up around Major Leaguers, but also being in Spring Training, that's your time when you get to know your teammates and get that sense of comfort. Really shortens the grace period where they're trying to get comfortable up here with their teammates in the game. Our guys do a great job of showing that spirit of hospitality with these young guys in Spring Training. You can see as soon as you walk in the clubhouse.”
Osuna had an electric Spring Training when he went 15-for-35 in Cactus League play with a handful of impressive defensive plays in the outfield.
But more importantly, it got him acquainted with the big leaguers. He pointed toward the Latin players like Adolis García, Ezequiel Duran and former Ranger Leody Taveras as guys he bounced ideas off. But he also pointed to Marcus Semien, whose locker is next to Osuna’s at Globe Life Field.
Semien said that this game's hard enough as it is; why would they want to make it harder on the rookies?
“[My teammates] brought me the confidence when I got here,” Osuna said. “They said don't change anything. It's another game, just with more fans and a bigger stadium, but don't change anything. And the most important thing is to just have fun. That's what I try to do.”
The Rangers’ struggling offense sure could use some of that energy from Osuna.
He’s obviously got the talent. Osuna was the Rangers' Minor League player of the year in 2024 after hitting .292/.362/.507 with 18 homers and 17 stolen bases between High-A Hickory and Double-A Frisco. He led all Texas farmhands in slugging, OPS (.869) and wRC+ (143).
He opened the 2025 season back with Frisco, hitting .283/.363/.409 in his first 31 games before getting promoted to Triple-A Round Rock. He’s had just eight Triple-A games under his belt, with an impressive .918 OPS at the time of his call-up.
“I think he's got the ability to do that [be a spark],” Bochy said. I don't want to put pressure on him, but just do his thing. We need some help offensively. I think he can provide that. The one thing this lineup needs, I think, is another left-handed bat, with [Evan] Carter and [Corey] Seager down. You like to try to balance it out a little bit more. That is part of what this kid can do.”