Rangers fire offensive coordinator Ecker as hitting woes mount

The Texas Rangers fired offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker as their struggles at the plate grow, the team announced Sunday.

"After lengthy discussions and deliberations, we feel now is the appropriate time to provide our hitters with a new voice as we pursue goals of winning the division and reaching the postseason," Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said in a statement following the team's 8-1 win over the Seattle Mariners. "We are extremely grateful to Donnie for all that he accomplished here with the Rangers, including his role in the club's 2023 World Series championship. We wish him the best."

The team didn't name a replacement for Ecker. For now, hitting coach Justin Viele and assistant hitting coach Seth Conner will seemingly remain in their roles, although the Rangers said they'd address the structure of manager Bruce Bochy's hitting staff in the coming days.

Ecker, 39, was in his fourth season as the Rangers' offensive coordinator and also served as bench coach from 2022-24. Under his watch, the Rangers enjoyed several successful offensive seasons, including their championship season.

This season, however, has been a very different story. Texas has scored the fewest runs in the American League (113), ahead of only the woeful Colorado Rockies. The team also ranks 27th in OPS (.644) and 19th in homers (31). Last week, the Rangers went seven straight games without hitting a home run. They snapped that drought late in Friday's 13-1 loss to Seattle.

Sunday's win marked just the sixth time this year that the Rangers have scored six-plus runs in a game. They've scored three or fewer runs in 15 of their last 22 contests.

Texas tried to shake up its scuffling offense earlier this week by optioning first baseman Jake Burger to Triple-A. Burger was one of the team's biggest offseason acquisitions but has been one of its worst individual hitters.

Young apparently made another move to fix the lineup Sunday by placing outfielder Leody Taveras on outright waivers, sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Taveras, the Rangers' primary center fielder to start the season, has put up a .601 OPS with one homer and eight RBIs over 29 games.

If Taveras is claimed, his new team would be responsible for what remains of his $4.75-million salary.

The Rangers sit in fourth place in the AL West with a 17-18 record.