Texas Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson (illness) has returned from the flu in spring training camp, according to the Dallas Morning News' Evan Grant. Pederson missed a few days in spring training while being under the weather, but he's feeling better now and has rejoined the team for workouts in Arizona. The 32-year-old veteran left-handed slugger had a bounce-back season in 2024 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, slashing .275/.393/.515 with a .908 OPS, 23 long balls, 64 RBI, seven stolen bases and 62 runs scored in 367 at-bats. Pederson proved he can still be successful at the plate, mostly with his power, but there are clear drawbacks for fantasy managers. The primary one is that he almost never faces lefties -- he has a career .630 OPS against them -- and has become a full-time DH at this point in his career. That's unlikely to change with the move to Texas.
The Dallas Morning News' Evan Grant reports that Texas Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson (illness) is dealing with the flu at spring training. Pederson might miss a few days of workouts at camp this week, but the 32-year-old veteran lefty swinger should be back on the field later this week. The former 11th-round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010 hit .275/.393/.515 with a career-best .908 OPS, 23 home runs, 64 RBI, a career-high seven stolen bases and 62 runs scored in 132 games for the Arizona Diamondbacks last year. At this point in his career, Pederson is basically a full-time DH and only starts against right-handed pitchers. He had a .534 slugging percentage and .923 OPS against right-handers in Arizona. In comparison, he has a .630 career OPS against lefties. Pederson's fantasy value takes a hit because he's limited to DH eligibility.
According to Justin Tasch of the New York Post, the New York Mets had interest in designated hitter Joc Pederson before he signed a two-year contract with the Texas Rangers. Last summer, Pederson performed very well being deployed on the strong side of a platoon with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Pederson posted a .275/.393/.515 slash line with 23 home runs. He generated a strong .378 xwOBA and a 12.8% barrel rate, which were both among the top marks of qualified hitters. He also showed a great eye at the plate with a 12.2% walk rate and a slightly below-average 23.4% K rate. While the Mets could not get a deal done, this suggests that they are still actively looking for a power bat to operate as their designated hitter. Currently, Starling Marte or Jeff McNeil would be the team's DH, but that will likely change by Spring Training. If the Mets do target a power bat, he would have high RBI upside batting behind Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, outfielder/designated hitter Joc Pederson and the Texas Rangers have agreed on a contract, pending a physical. Despite only playing in a strict platoon role in Arizona last summer, Pederson was very effective, posting a strong .275/.393/.515 slash line with 17 doubles, 23 home runs, 64 RBI, and four stolen bases. He hit for a .291 average across 41 plate appearances when facing southpaws. The 32-year-old hit the ball very hard at an impressive 46.2% hard-hit rate and 12.8% barrel rate, which placed him in the 79th and 87th percentiles, respectively. He also generated a .480 xSLG and a .378 xwOBA, which were among the top marks of qualified hitters. Fantasy managers should expect Pederson to have a similar role with Texas, as he will likely operate as the starting designated hitter against right-handed pitching.
Arizona Diamondbacks designated hitter Joc Pederson has declined the end of his mutual option and will test free agency, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN. The 32-year-old slugger enjoyed a fantastic season in the desert in 2024, posting a career-best .275/.393/.515 slash line with 23 home runs and 64 RBI. Even though Pederson was in a strict platoon, he was still a valuable fantasy contributor during the entire season. He boasted a stellar 12.8% barrel rate and 46.2% hard-hit rate under the hood. Fantasy managers should expect Pederson to continue to be deployed on the strong side of a platoon in 2025, but he should still be a popular target for power, given his excellent underlying metrics.
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder/designated hitter Joc Pederson is out of the starting lineup on Thursday against the division-rival San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park with a left-hander on the mound. With Pederson starting on the bench versus a southpaw, like usual, first baseman Josh Bell will serve as the DH and will bat third against Giants lefty Blake Snell. Bell has only faced Snell three times in his career, but his one hit against him was a solo home run. Pederson has only faced left-handers 38 times all year, so by this point in the season, fantasy managers should be used to sitting him when the D-backs are facing a left-hander. He's gone 7-for-29 (.241) against southpaws with only one of his 21 home runs on the season. The veteran lefty slugger has been cold of late, batting .200 (4-for-20) with a homer, two RBI and eight strikeouts in his last eight games since Aug. 25.
Joc Pederson, Adrian Del Castillo Out Against A Southpaw
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder/designated hitter Joc Pederson and rookie catcher Adrian Del Castillo are both out for Thursday's series finale against the visiting New York Mets at Chase Field. Randal Grichuk is serving as Arizona's DH and is in the two-hole, while Jose Herrera is doing the catching and batting ninth against Mets left-hander David Peterson. It should be no surprise that Pederson is sitting, as he has seen only 36 plate appearances all year against southpaws, going 6-for-27 (.222) against them with only one of his 21 homers. Del Castillo has been a revelation since taking over for the injured Gabriel Moreno behind the plate, batting .354 (17-for-48) with three homers and 14 RBI in his first 14 big-league games. Grichuk might be worth a look in DFS lineups; he's hit .429 with a .929 OPS in seven career at-bats against Peterson.
Arizona Diamondbacks designated hitter Joc Pederson went deep in Monday's series-opening win over the hosting Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park. Pederson lined a solo home run off Marlins right-hander Adam Oller to the second deck in right field, making it a 5-1 lead for the D-backs in the fifth inning of Monday's victory over Miami. The 32-year-old veteran slugger may not be a high-end mixed-league fantasy contributor due to his lack of playing time against left-handed pitching, but over his last 24 games, he's hitting a strong .365 (23-for-63) with seven homers, 19 RBI, and 16 runs scored as Arizona's primary DH against right-handed pitching.
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder/designated hitter Joc Pederson is out of the starting lineup on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field despite a right-hander being on the mound. It appears to just be a day of rest for the 32-year-old veteran left-handed hitter. With Pederson on the bench, Randal Grichuk will serve as Arizona's DH and will hit sixth against Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen. Grichuk is typically only a DFS play when he's in the lineup against left-handed hurlers. The 33-year-old veteran has hit just .229 (16-for-70) with three of his four home runs this year against righties. He's never faced Rasmussen in his career. Pederson is having a strong first year in the desert and is currently slashing .287/.395/.545 with a career-best .940 OPS, 19 homers and 55 RBI in 101 games played.
Joc Pederson Smacks Pinch-Hit Go-Ahead Homer Monday
Arizona Diamondbacks designated hitter Joc Pederson smacked a pinch-hit go-ahead homer Monday night in a 7-6 extra-inning victory over the Cleveland Guardians. Pederson entered the game in the top of the eighth inning with a runner on first with one out. Pinch-hitting for Kevin Newman, Pederson took advantage of a full-count hanging curveball to give the Diamondbacks the lead. The veteran started the game on the bench with a southpaw on the mound, entered the contest in a big moment, and came up clutch for the Snakes. The lefty slugger is scorching hot at the plate in August with a 4-for-10 line with three home runs and seven RBI. Despite the platoon, he is having one of his best seasons ever, and his .285 batting average would be the highest of his career if the season ended today. Despite being in a platoon, Pederson is putting up enough numbers in the limited playing time he's receiving to make him worth rostering in most leagues.
Joc Pederson
• DH
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Rangers
