Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford is returning to the injured list with a left hamstring strain, manager Skip Schumacher told reporters on Sunday.
Langford, 24, was scratched from the lineup right before Saturday’s 7-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
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“It was literally right before the game,” Schumaker said, via MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry. “Our trainer came in and let me know. I talked to Wyatt, but I didn’t want to risk it.”
In his third season with the Rangers, Langford missed 39 games from late April to early June with a right forearm strain. He also missed some time with a right quad strain, but did not go on the IL with that injury.
Unfortunately, the outfielder is something of a regular on the IL, previously sidelined five different times with a hamstring strain during his rookie season and oblique strains last year.
However, Langford has been productive when in the lineup. He has 8 home runs, 8 doubles, 2 triples, 20 RBI and 6 stolen bases in 40 games this season, compiling a slash line of .278/.324/.500. Since returning to the lineup in June, Langford batted .317/.371/.634 with 7 homers, 5 doubles and 16 RBI.
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Langford’s injury comes as the Rangers close in on the Seattle Mariners for first place in the AL West. Texas has won three straight games and could complete a four-game sweep over Toronto this weekend.
At 41-42, the Rangers are a half-game behind Seattle (42-42) going into Sunday’s MLB slate. Yet Texas currently holds the AL’s third wild-card playoff spot, one game ahead of the Houston Astros and the Athletics.
To fill Langford’s spot on the major-league roster, the Rangers activated Evan Carter from the IL, where he was recovering from a right oblique strain. Before going on the IL, Carter had a .176/.292/.321 slash average with 6 homers, 6 doubles, 21 RBI and 10 steals in 229 plate appearancces. He’s played excellent defense in center field, credited with 5 Defensive Runs Saved and 7 Outs Above Average.
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