ARLINGTON -- The Rangers’ offensive struggles have reached a critical point. When you keep losing games in the same way, over and over, something has to change eventually.
On Friday, Texas made a major change by demoting first baseman Jake Burger to Triple-A Round Rock after his April struggles. Additionally, the club promoted Minor League first baseman Blaine Crim, whom the club selected in the 19th round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Crim went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in his MLB debut as the Rangers dropped a 13-1 decision to the Mariners on Friday night at Globe Life Field.
The club also recalled infielder Jonathan Ornelas and designated Nick Ahmed for assignment.
Burger was one of the Rangers’ biggest offseason acquisitions, but he has been one of many players struggling in the first month of the season. He’s hitting .190 with a .561 OPS in 30 games as the Rangers’ primary first baseman.
Fair or unfair, president of baseball operations Chris Young said, Burger’s individual performance is amplified by the collective underperformance of the Rangers’ offense through the first month of the season.
“It's just getting back to the best version of himself,” Young said. “I think, more than anything, it's a reset for him to go down and remember who he is as a hitter, and to come play the game with confidence and conviction and belief. We believe in Jake immensely. It doesn't change anything.
“We feel he embodies everything we want in our players. But players go through these moments, and it's our job to try to help them through that and put them in environments that are going to allow them to succeed. Our hope is that Jake will get hot quickly and be right back with us.”
The Rangers traded for Burger in hopes that he would add some much-needed thump to the lineup. He was coming off a 29-homer season with 76 RBIs for the Marlins in 2024. In ‘23, he hit a career-high 34 homers with the White Sox and Marlins and recorded an .827 OPS.
Shortly after acquiring Burger this offseason, the Rangers traded first baseman Nathaniel Lowe to the Nationals in return for lefty reliever Robert Garcia, who has been a vital piece of the bullpen in 2025, posting a 2.03 ERA in 13 1/3 innings.
However, Young doesn’t see Burger’s demotion as a wake-up call of sorts for the rest of the Rangers’ offense, which entered Friday collectively slashing .229/.285/.367 through 32 games.
The current moves are about getting Burger right and giving Crim an opportunity after years of performance in the Minors.
“There's no hidden messages with these moves,” Young said. “We're just simply trying to field the best team possible. We're not going well offensively. That’s no secret. But this isn't a message with these moves, no wake-up calls. This is simply that we're committed to winning, and players who are performing are going to get the playing time.”
Crim, 27, has raked at every level of the Minors, hitting .296 with an .879 OPS across six seasons. With Triple-A Round Rock, he’s slashing .313/.365/.565 with seven homers this season.
“With every player, they determine their destiny by performing, and Blaine has continued to do that,” Young said. “He's such a great person, a great guy, a winning spirit and a fighter. He plays with edge. He really is everything that I love in a player, everything we want in this organization. We're really excited for him to have this opportunity. He earned it.”
Young also reiterated that, despite the early offensive struggles, he still believes that Texas is a team built to compete and win. He believes Burger will be back with the big league club sooner, rather than later. Corey Seager is set to return from the injured list sooner than later. Evan Carter could even be recalled in the coming weeks.
If even a few hitters return to their best forms, the Rangers will be in a good place.
“Good teams go through hard times,” Young said. “It's how you handle those times that will define what this team becomes. I don't want to play our best baseball in April, but certainly, I had hoped that maybe we'd be clicking a little bit better offensively. These guys are motivated.
“They're working, they care, and they're going to get through this. I think there's a lot that could be made of the moves. I think this is about just trying to do the best thing to win baseball games at this moment. I believe in this group and where we're headed, so I don't want that to get lost in any of this.”