This Texas infielder has seen a stunning fall from MVP contender to major liability in no time.
The Rangers have dropped six of their last eight games, slipping three games under .500 and now trail the AL West-leading Mariners by 4.5 games. As the defending World Series champions struggle, much of the blame has centered around second baseman Marcus Semien, who has drastically underperformed.
What happened? Semien, a three-time All-Star and Silver Slugger, finished third in AL MVP voting three times and was a crucial part of Texas’ championship run in 2023. But his current drop-off has been nothing short of alarming.
In his first 56 games this season, Semien is batting just .176 with a .485 OPS and has racked up 48 strikeouts compared to only 34 hits. While his defense remains top-tier, his offensive woes have become a serious problem for the team. This isn’t just a slump—Semien is weighing down the entire lineup.
When you also consider the massive contract — seven years, \$175 million through 2028 — it’s easy to see why some view Semien as possibly the worst value player in MLB right now.
Rangers need Marcus Semien to figure out his swing — and quickly
This downturn hasn’t come completely out of nowhere. Semien’s numbers were already trending in the wrong direction last season. He posted a .699 OPS in 2023 — his lowest since the shortened 2020 season and the fourth-lowest of his career, including his early years in the majors. While he’s never been known for crushing the ball, he did rank in the 91st percentile for strikeout rate last year, a sign of his trademark discipline at the plate. Now, even that appears to be vanishing — or more accurately, collapsing entirely.
The Rangers find themselves in a bind. Semien is set to earn \$26 million this season, making it nearly impossible to justify benching him outright. Texas is willing to spend aggressively in free agency, but it doesn’t have the luxury of a bottomless budget like the Dodgers. When the team commits to a big-money player, it limits flexibility elsewhere and makes getting a return on that investment critical.
And right now, Semien hasn’t just underwhelmed — he’s been one of the worst offensive players in baseball, contract or not. You’d struggle to find even a struggling Triple-A call-up putting up this level of production. His strikeout rate has dropped to league average (51st percentile), and while his expected batting average (.227) and expected slugging (.372) suggest some misfortune, this doesn’t look like a temporary slump from a top-tier hitter. Semien’s swing is clearly out of sync, his confidence seems shot, and his offensive output has cratered.
Texas will give him as much time as it reasonably can to turn things around — it has little choice. But the situation is dire. It doesn’t help that backup options like Ezequiel Duran (.313 OPS) and Sam Haggerty (.622 OPS) have also struggled in limited roles. Sooner or later, the Rangers may have to explore external alternatives, even if it stretches the budget.
