The Rangers placed Evan Carter on the injured list last week, initially citing back discomfort. Manager Bruce Bochy provided more details Tuesday, telling reporters that the rookie left fielder is suffering from a stress reaction, according to Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. Texas expects Carter to be absent for up to a month.
It has been a challenging first full MLB season for Carter. The 21-year-old top prospect debuted late in 2023 and immediately cemented himself as a key piece of the franchise’s first World Series run. Carter hit .300/.417/.500 in 17 postseason games, making him a popular Rookie of the Year pick in 2024. He has had a much tougher go through this season’s first couple of months, running a .188/.272/.361 line with a 26.5% strikeout rate over 162 plate appearances.
Carter revealed that he played with back pain for a few weeks before being placed on the injured list. That could have contributed to his average offensive performance. He remains an important part of the Rangers’ plans for the current season and beyond, but he will be out for a few weeks. Wyatt Langford has moved to left field, freeing up some DH opportunities for Robbie Grossman and Ezequiel Duran.
Texas received some positive news about a couple other wounded players this week. Tyler Mahle, an offseason signee, threw to batters for the first time on Wednesday since recovering from Tommy John surgery, according to Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News. Mahle is scheduled for three more live workouts before beginning a minor league rehab stint. If all goes well, he should be ready to make his Rangers debut a few weeks after the All-Star break.
Mahle is around 13 months removed from the elbow procedure that ended his tenure with the Twins. The right-hander was barely able to pitch for Minnesota. He was a mid-rotation starter with the Reds before that, pitching 180 innings of 3.75 ERA ball while striking out more than 27% of opponents three years ago. The Rangers guaranteed him $22M on a backloaded two-year deal in December.
Texas currently has a full rotation on the injured list. Jon Gray had a brief spell due to a groin ailment, but the other four pitchers had lengthy rehabilitation times. Mahle, Max Scherzer, and Jacob deGrom are still recovering from their 2023 surgery. Cody Bradford has been out since mid-April due to a stress fracture in his rib. The southpaw told reporters that he had advanced to throwing from 120 feet on flat ground, per Landry. Bradford began the season as the fifth starter, recording a 1.40 ERA over 19 1/3 innings in three outings before becoming injured.
On the position player side, Texas has been missing rookie infielder Justin Foscue for almost the entire season. On April 2, the Rangers called up the former first-round draftee. He made two plate appearances before suffering a left oblique strain, which sent him to the 60-day injured list. Foscue will be eligible for reinstatement in the coming days and appears to be on pace for a return. Texas assigned him to the Arizona Complex League, where he will begin his rehab assignment tonight. The Rangers may not have an immediate MLB roster place for Foscue, as Josh Smith has performed admirably at third base while Josh Jung has been injured.
