The Texas Rangers can breathe a sigh of relief regarding their promising young outfielder, Evan Carter. After taking a pitch to the foot on Friday, Carter underwent precautionary X-rays, which thankfully came back clean.
Despite the good news, Carter was absent from the lineup for the second consecutive day. Michael Helman stepped in to cover center field duties. Manager Skip Schumaker noted that while Carter is still dealing with some soreness in his left foot, he’s ready to contribute off the bench if needed.
The Rangers are set to wrap up their series against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday before heading to St. Louis for a three-game showdown with the Cardinals, starting Monday. A well-deserved day off awaits them on Thursday.
Carter has had a challenging journey, with significant injuries in both 2024 and 2025. This season, he’s appeared in 56 games, nearing his career high.
Known for his defensive prowess, Carter is still finding his rhythm at the plate, sporting a .175/.296/.343 slash line with six homers and 18 RBIs. Notably, those six home runs mark a personal best for a single MLB season.
However, his struggles against left-handed pitchers mean he’s often platooned in those matchups.
The incident on Friday saw Carter take a pitch to the inside of his left foot late in the game. After a quick check from the team trainer and Schumaker, Carter stayed in the game, even managing a test sprint to first base. However, he sat out Saturday’s game as a precaution while awaiting the X-ray results.
Carter’s focus this spring was clear: stay healthy and be ready to play. His 2024 season was marred by a stress reaction that turned into a lumbar strain, necessitating an ablation procedure. The following year wasn’t much kinder, with a trio of injuries-a right quad strain, back spasms, and a right wrist fracture-cutting his season short in late August.
Adding to the Rangers’ outfield concerns, Wyatt Langford has been sidelined since April with a right forearm strain. He recently went 0-for-2 with two walks and two runs in a rehab game at Triple-A Round Rock. Langford is eyeing a return to the majors by June 5, when the Rangers face Cleveland, but he’ll need a few more games to get back into the swing of things.
