SURPRISE, Ariz. — The Texas Rangers opened their spring training exhibition schedule with a 7-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Friday.
It was not the start the Rangers had hoped for, but as it’s a spring training game the results don’t matter. What happens on the field does. Starter Nathan Eovaldi gave up two home runs in his two innings of work but came out of the game physically fine and wanting a pair of split-fingered fastballs back.
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Texas ran plenty of players through the batting order, giving at-bats to younger players after the starters got in their two at-bats. The Rangers played what they hope will be their starting infield this season, with Jake Burger at first base, Josh Smith at second base, Corey Seager at shortstop and Josh Jung at third base.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
Early Defensive Issues
The Rangers set the Major League record for top fielding percentage in a season in 2025. The defense was part of the reason the Rangers were able to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot until the final two weeks of the season when things fell apart in Houston.
Most of the pieces of last year’s defense are back and while the Rangers shouldn’t be judged for one game, it was a rough one in the field early.
Seager had two errors. One was a throwing error in the first inning and the other was a fielding error in the second. Neither led to unearned runs, but he’s a much more capable fielder than that.
The other major miscue was in that second inning when left fielder Michael Helman lost a fly ball in the sun. It fell to the ground, and the Royals scored a run. With Helman competing for a roster spot, it’s one of those plays that can make a difference for players on the margins.
Tough Outs
Rangers manager Skip Schumaker wants to have a lineup filled with “tough outs,” hitters that can do multiple things at the plate, can fight for hits and work counts. Texas was among the worst teams in baseball in batting average and on-base percentage last year. He sees tough outs as being a bridge to boosting both.
I kept track of the first round of at-bats in the lineup, and the toughest at-bat was Seager. He worked Royals starter Stephen Kolak for seven pitches before he finally drew a walk. Alejandro Osuna worked five pitches later in the game but struck out. But he fouled off two pitches in the process.
In previous seasons the Rangers struck an aggressive tone at the plate. That worked against them at times last season. Part of spring training will be about finding a balance because hitting the right pitch — even the first pitch — can help. Helman hit a first-pitch sacrifice fly that brought in the first Rangers run of the game.
Cameron Cauley Pays Off
Cameron Cauley is one of the Rangers’ Top 30 prospects per MLB Pipeline and with Sebastian Walcott set to miss spring training after an elbow injury, he could soak up some of the playing time that Walcott would have gotten. Cauley didn’t start on Friday, but he entered the game as a designated hitter for Joc Pederson in the sixth inning. He wasted no time making an impression.
He ripped a double to left field that scored Ezequiel Duran to make it 6-2 Royals.
Cauley was the Rangers’ third-round pick in 2021, and he played at Double-A Frisco last year, where he slashed .253/.325/.448 with 15 home runs and 51 RBI. How long he stays in MLB camp depends on production, but Friday’s RBI was a nice start. He should start 2026 at Triple-A Round Rock.
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