ARLINGTON — The bad news: Rangers outfielder Evan Carter is dealing with another injury.
The good: At least it’s not his back.
The Rangers scratched Carter from Saturday’s lineup with what manager Bruce Bochy described as tightness in the right quadriceps muscle. By giving him Saturday off, the Rangers will essentially give him three days of rest. He wasn’t expected to play on Sunday with Houston likely to start lefty Framber Valdez. The Rangers are off Monday before beginning a three-game series at the New York Yankees.
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“We’re being cautious,” Bochy said. “Because it’s been there a couple of days and he’s been playing through it.”
The good news for the Rangers is that they don’t believe Carter’s chronic back issue, which cost him the final four months of last season and hindered him in spring training, is the root cause of the soreness.
It’s been clear, though, that Carter has struggled lately. The 22-year-old has gone 0 for 11 on the current homestand, though he has worked three walks.
With Carter out, the Rangers started right-handed hitting Sam Haggerty in center field. If, by some chance, Carter’s quad doesn’t respond well, the Rangers could easily activate outfielder Kevin Pillar from the injured list. Pillar has recently been on a rehab assignment after his own back issue.
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