Joc Pederson Is Playing Through a Fractured Hand Because Baseball Players Are Built Different
Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reported the fracture and Pederson's intent to play through it.
Most of us will take a sick day if we sleep on our neck wrong, but is out here deciding a broken bone is just a mild inconvenience. The designated hitter has a small fracture in his left hand and is reportedly just going to keep swinging a wooden stick at major-league fastballs anyway.
Pederson got plunked by a 93.3 mph heater from starter Brandon Pfaadt on Saturday. He stayed in to run the bases before eventually getting subbed out, which is the exact kind of stubborn baseball-guy behavior that makes you wince just watching the replay.
The Rangers sat him against lefties Eduardo Rodriguez and Patrick Sandoval, but that was likely happening regardless of his bone structural integrity. Pederson is a platoon bat, and Texas desperately needs him ready for the right-handers left on the schedule.
Texas is currently sitting one game behind the Houston Astros in the AL West and 1.5 games back of the Cleveland Guardians in the Wild Card race. You do not bench your primary power source in a division fight unless the hand is physically detached.
Pederson has 26 home runs this year, tying him for the team lead, and almost all of his damage comes against righties. The Rangers as a whole rank 26th in the majors with a miserable .697 OPS against right-handed pitching, making Pederson the only thing keeping that split from being a total disaster.
If you are looking at Rangers moneylines or player props this week, you have to factor in whether their best righty-masher is swinging with nine functioning fingers. Pain tolerance is great for the clubhouse vibes, but it does not always translate to bat speed.
The team is hoping the swelling drops enough for him to face righty Sonny Gray on Thursday. Pederson has an $18.5 million mutual option coming up this winter, and playing through a fracture in a playoff race is certainly one way to make a final impression before hitting the open market.