There may be no greater mystery for the 2024 Texas Rangers than center fielder Leody Taveras.

Looking at the current landscape of the Rangers outfield, Taveras finds himself on the outside looking in as of now.

With Wyatt Langford solidifying himself in left field, Evan Carter expected to come back in center and Adolis Garcia holding down right, there currently isn’t a starting spot for Taveras.

To further add to the complexion of the issue for Taveras, Texas might not be done shopping for an outfielder either. The Rangers are still in the market for a left-handed power bat.

Any start to breaking down Leody Taveras’ future has to start with his past two seasons of production or lack thereof.

In 2023, Taveras was the best nine-hole hitter in baseball slashing .266/.312/.421 with 14 home runs and 67 RBI.

Taveras was a solid defender in center field helping the Rangers to their first-ever World Series championship.

However, much like the Rangers as a whole, Taveras’ title-defending season wasn’t even in the same ballpark as 2023.

In 151 games this season, Taveras slashed .229/.289/.352 with 12 home runs and 44 RBI. A polar opposite of 2023.

Ultimately, it’s consistency that separates the good players and the great players, and through his five seasons with the Rangers, we haven’t seen much of it from Leody Taveras.

All that said, as of now, Taveras could still contribute to the 2024 team but it’s going to be difficult for Bruce Bochy to find him at-bats.

With the addition of Jake Burger, Taveras is less likely to get playing time in the outfield because the starting outfielders will be rotating into the DH spot less often.

Taveras also isn’t the type of player who you can just stash away on your bench as a fourth outfielder and know what you’re going to get when he comes in (Ex. Travis Jankowski)

In the event that one of the starting outfielders does get hurt, having Taveras to plug in is a phenomenal option.

However, it’s an option that might not be realistic. If Taveras can’t find himself getting regular playing time, it’s hard to see him picturing into the Rangers future.
With the aforementioned outfield of Langford-Carter-Garcia, the flexibility of Josh Smith and Ezequiel Duran makes them far more likely to be worthy of active roster spots than Taveras.

Ultimately, Taveras just isn’t the type of player to keep on your bench not knowing if he’ll get any regular playing time.

If Bruce Bochy can find a way to keep Taveras fresh, he is a weapon that the Rangers would love to have.

When right, we know that Taveras can make a lineup that much longer and better. We also know that it will be tough for Texas to make room for someone they once thought would be their center fielder of the future.