​Second baseman Ethan Mendoza is returning for another season with the Texas Longhorns, officially announcing his decision on Monday in the wake of the 2026 MLB DraftInitially considered a draftable prospect during the season, Mendoza went undrafted after struggling with a shoulder injury for the second consecutive year and opted against signing as a free agent.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementA Southlake Carroll product who was ranked as the No. 2 shortstop and No. 18 overall player in Texas by Prep Baseball and a top-500 prospect nationally by Perfect Game, Mendoza started in 49 of the 53 games in which he appeared at Arizona State in 2024, batting .315 with 11 doubles, three home runs, and 24 RBI. Capable of making consistent contact from the right side, Mendoza only struck out 22 times in 203 at bats in 2023 to post a remarkable strikeout rate of 10.8 percent, but didn’t take many walks, either, with 13 free passes drawn on the season.One of the first additions made by head coach Jim Schlossnagle after arriving in Austin, Mendoza spent the offseason working on getting deeper into counts to take more walks and make louder contact, boosting his slugging percentage by 33 points and his on-base percentage by 70 points while leading the Horns in batting average (.333), hits (75), triples (4), and multi-hit performances (25) and tying for the team lead with 15 stolen bases.After hitting three home runs as a freshman in Tempe, Mendoza hit four in his first 34 at bats at Texas, but suffered a shoulder injury in April that impacted his power and kept him from playing in the field.The shoulder issues persisted for Mendoza as a junior with Schlossnagle revealing in June that his second baseman had been dealing with it all year before aggravating it diving for a ground ball against Tennessee in early May.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMendoza had spent the offseason bulking up to further improve his power, which helped him hit 10 home runs in 2026, but his batting average dropped to .278 and the increased weight contributed to Mendoza only stealing 11 bases.So regardless of whether Mendoza will end up needing surgery to address his shoulder problems, the question of his playing weight is a key storyline for Texas this offseason as the 5’10, 200-pounder prepares for his third season with the Longhorns.As it relates to the 2027 Texas roster, the bigger news is getting Mendoza’s experience and proven hitting ability back for another season to solidify the second base position.