Skip Schumaker Wants Texas Rangers' Josh Smith to Seize Opportunity

Josh Smith certainly isn’t a slam dunk to be the Texas Rangers' everyday second baseman in 2026.

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However, it’s not crazy to say, barring injury or unforeseen circumstances, that Smith looks like he will become the everyday guy.

In late November, when the Rangers traded World Series hero second baseman Marcus Semien, and later the Texas front office announced they would fill the hole, it seemed the stars finally aligned for Smith.

Ultimately, the dice were bound to roll in Smith’s favor eventually. After a pair of solid seasons at the plate, the Rangers were never going to be able to reach Smith’s full potential with him in the super utility role.

However, the role was never just going to be handed to Smith, and he will have to prove that he is worthy of being an everyday player and doing all of the things that come with playing every day in the major leagues.

“He [Smith] is going to tell us if he’s [an everyday player or not],” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said on Friday.

“I think the way he’s going about it is that he’s trying to prove to us and to himself that he’s an everyday player…this is his shot."

Being an 11-year MLB veteran, Schumaker knows that the opportunity in front of Smith isn’t one that comes about very often.

“Not so many times in your career do you get something like 'this is your chance to be an everyday guy, go and take it, especially on a winning team,'” Schumaker said.

In fact, it was Schumaker who capitalized on a similar opportunity, and it turned into him being a factor on a World Series team that the Rangers unfortunately know all too well.

“I know from my experience when I was with the (St. Louis) Cardinals, we weren’t trying to not get to the playoffs or win the World Series with Chris Carpenter and [Adam] Wainwright on the mound," Schumaker said.

“They expected plays to be made, and Tony [LaRussa, then-Cardinals manager] gave me the 'here you go, it’s yours, what are you gonna do with it,' and it’s kind of Smith’s opportunity right now to go get it and take it, don’t look back," Schumaker continued.

"Other guys want it too, [Ezequiel] Duran wants it," Schumaker said. "So there are other guys who are fighting for that spot; we’ll see what happens. I’m looking for Smith to take hold of it and force me to play him every day and think, 'how do I not put this guy in the lineup'."

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