Both left fielder Wyatt Langford and third baseman Josh Jung — two key pieces of the Rangers’ present and future — independently described Ecker’s dismissal as a surprise. It’s the first in-season staff change that either of them have been apart of during their young major league careers.

Bret Boone’s weekend started off pretty normal. The biggest news on Saturday was when he went to a baseball game at USC, his alma mater, where he threw out the first pitch ahead of a big win over rival UCLA.

Bret Boone is returning to the American League West, this time as the new hitting coach for the Texas Rangers, the team announced on Monday.