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.

The Rangers need a spark for the offense. They’re looking to outside sources to fix it. The Rangers announced on Monday that they are hiring Bret Boone as their new hitting coach. He will join the off

Josh Jung was the only batter in the lineup without a hit for Texas, which was playing its first game since firing offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker and adding Boone, a former big league All-Star with one of baseball’s deepest pedigrees, to the coaching staff.