The Sunday Read: Mathias newest member of quality position players vying for few 2023 openings

(AP photo/Tony Gutierrez)

The latest candidate for the Rangers’ 2023 Opening Day roster is Mark Mathias.

He had been doing well before his two games last week against the A’s, when he hit his first career walk-off homer, homered in three straight plate appearances (spanning two games) and collected run-scoring hits in five straight plate appearances (again spanning two games).

Now, Mathias is pushing for regular at-bats even though there aren’t any to give him. That’s OK, because he has shown a knack for hitting even without steady playing time.

“Not getting at-bats every day is really hard,” Mathis said. “So when I go up there, I’m just trying to get a good pitch to hit, see a lot of pitches, and then get the next guy up.”

None of this means he will be with the Rangers when they open next season March 30 at Globe Life Field. But it can’t hurt.