ARLINGTON -- Andrew McCutchen had little time to get himself ready this spring -- and an equally short window to show the Rangers he was worthy of a spot on their Opening Day roster -- after he signed with the club on March 6.
As it happened, a couple of weeks turned out to be enough time for the veteran outfielder to show he had what it takes. General manager Chris Young said before Monday’s 3-2 exhibition win against the Royals at Globe Life Field that McCutchen officially made the club after tallying impressive results for Texas this spring, hit .421 with a 1.297 OPS over 19 at-bats in eight games this spring. McCutchen edged out Mark Canha for a bench spot.
“It was an extremely tough decision, and there were a number of factors that went into it, but ultimately, we felt like Cutch earned it just with his performance,” Young said. “The way he’s hit the ball, the way his approach is -- [we] felt very good that he’s going to help us win a lot of games.”
At 39, McCutchen will embark on his 18th big league season when the Rangers open 2026 in Philadelphia on Thursday. And although he saw less game time this spring than in all but one of his previous 20 MLB camps, McCutchen said he knew he was ready almost immediately after he joined the Rangers in Surprise, Ariz.
“I was able to figure that out fairly quickly,” McCutchen said. “The first live [pitching] that I faced on the back field. ... I worked a walk and then I laced a double in left center, and I was like, ‘Yeah, this is exactly where I need to be at.’”
Only days before that, McCutchen was still looking for a team to show interest in him -- unfamiliar territory for someone who played in 108 games or more 15 of the past 17 seasons. Neither the Rangers nor McCutchen expect the 39-year-old to take 551 plate appearances like he did last season for the Pirates, but the hope is that he can contribute both on and off the field, mentoring young outfielders like Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford. McCutchen says he’s willing to play whatever role the Rangers ask him to.
“I told them I am at their disposal -- no matter what it is, no matter what they need from me, I’m here, and that’s what I’m here for,” McCutchen said.
As an example of what sort of advice McCutchen might be able to offer, he referenced a moment from a recent Cactus League game on March 18 when he was at second base with no outs, another runner on first and Langford at the plate with a 2-1 count.
“They had their closer on the mound, he was throwing 88 [mph] and couldn’t find the zone,” McCutchen said. “The count was like, 2-1, and I took off running. I went to steal third. ... It would’ve been [runners at] second and third, the count would’ve been 3-1, and [Langford] ends up swinging and popping up. It went out of play.
"It was one of those things, like, ‘Hey, dude, wouldn’t you rather hit in the position where you’re 3-1 with a guy on second and third as opposed to 2-2 with a guy on first and second?’ It’s small things like that. We shared a laugh, but at the same time, it’s one of those things that you want to talk about.”
Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said the leadership aspect was crucial to McCutchen’s value.
“The more guys around that we can have like Andrew McCutchen, the better,” Schumaker said. “I think he's going to really help a lot of these young guys play with a different mentality and edge.”
On Monday, the Rangers also announced that utility man Ezequiel Duran and outfielder Sam Haggerty would be on the Opening Day roster. Kumar Rocker will begin the season as the No. 5 starter in the rotation and Jacob Latz will pitch out of the bullpen for now, Young said.