Rangers to promote top 100 prospect Ezequiel Duran

The Rangers are planning on promoting top infield prospect Ezequiel Duran to the big league club, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. He will start Saturday’s ballgame at third base. Duran, 23, is already on the 40-man roster, so no move is required on that front.

Before the season started, Duran was the 83rd-ranked prospect in baseball per MLB.com and the 99th-ranked prospect by Baseball Prospectus. He has risen to the 66th-ranked overall prospect per Baseball America, who ranks him as the 4th-best prospect in the Rangers’ system. He was one of the pieces sent to Texas as part of the Joey Gallo trade.

Duran has improved his stock without appearing as high as Triple-A. In Double-A, he has a .317/.365/.574 slash line through 200 plate appearances this season. He spent all of last season in High-A. 

Duran will play third base Saturday, but he has the ability to play up the middle. Of course, the Rangers doled out millions this winter for Corey Seager and Marcus Semien to play second and shortstop, respectively. Both players are signed through 2028.

The Rangers are awaiting news on Josh Smith, who may very well end up on the injured list as a corresponding move to Duran’s promotion. Smith has raked in his first taste of the big leagues, going 5-for-12 with a pair of walks to just one strikeout over five games. Smith is the Rangers’ 9th-ranked prospect, per Baseball America.