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Coming off a miserable 2025 season where he slashed .224/.266/.293 with zero home runs in 205 at-bats, no one expected Ezequiel Duran to join the 2026 All-Star conversation.
He was a utility bench player. Folks rarely consider players like him for the All-Star Game. However, midway through a Texas Rangers season that has been anything but smooth, Duran is forcing that conversation as a dark horse candidate.
The Rangers sit at 32-33, currently fighting to stay in the AL Wild Card picture and still waiting to get completely healthy. Starting second baseman Josh Smith missed over a month with viral meningitis and was sent to Double-A Frisco for a rehab assignment, while superstars like Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford have also missed significant time.
That injury chaos opened the door for Duran and he has not wasted a single opportunity. In 2026, Duran is slashing .293/.347/.457 and leads all American League second basemen on the All-Star ballot with 35 RBIs, while ranking near the very top in OPS at .803.
He has been a stellar, plus defender, finally qualifying at second base due to the injuries piling up around him. Manager Skip Schumaker did not hesitate when asked if Duran would stay in the lineup once other players returned, claiming, "I think that he's going to be playing still multiple positions."
He also called Duran "the solution in many, many ways," referencing the nickname teammates now wear on clubhouse t-shirts. His All-Star case is real. Duran leads all primary American League second basemen with a 1.7 fWAR, ahead of the Cleveland Guardians' Travis Bazzana at 1.4.
Dallas Morning News writer Evan Grant noted that this WAR advantage, along with his hitting stats, makes Duran a true dark horse for the starting spot, or at least a strong candidate for the players' vote.
He wrote that Duran “was second among those listed at the position to Cleveland rookie Travis Bazzana by six points. And nobody else is close to them. Also, Duran entered the day with a higher WAR (1.7) than Bazzana (1.4). If he’s not the starter, he should have an excellent chance as the players’ choice."
What makes this surprising is that Duran has only played 18 games at second base all season. He has spent the rest of his time at shortstop, third base, and in the outfield. Despite not being a full-time second baseman, he leads the American League at that position in fWAR. Since he is playing some of the best baseball of his career, his unlikely All-Star case makes perfect sense.
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