ARLINGTON — The good news is that Evan Carter hasn’t had to miss time because of his back yet this season. The bad news is that a different large muscle has now sidelined him.
The Texas Rangers placed Carter on the 10-day injured list with a Grade 2 right quad strain prior to Sunday’s game vs. the Houston Astros at Globe Life Field. Outfielder Kevin Pillar, who’d been sidelined since May 7 with lower back inflammation, was activated from the injured list and added to the roster in Carter’s place.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday that Carter could miss multiple weeks. The Rangers do not want to risk worsening the injury if Carter is not fully healthy to play. He was scratched from Saturday night’s lineup with quad tightness.
“I think it’s a little worse than what everybody expected,” Bochy said. “Including him. He felt he could go yesterday, which says something about him, because he was ready to play. So, yeah, I think that did surprise us.”
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Carter, 22, missed two-thirds of last season with a back injury and started this year at Triple-A Round Rock to continue his buildup after a slow spring training. The Rangers recalled him from the minor leagues on May 6 and reinstalled him as the team’s everyday center fielder after Leody Taveras was placed on waivers. Carter slashed .182/.270/.273 with one home run in 11 games.
It’s the fifth time that a Rangers player has landed on the injured list this season with a muscle strain. Catcher Kyle Higashioka (intercostal strain), outfielder Wyatt Langford (oblique strain) and shortstop Corey Seager (hamstring strain, twice) are the others.
The Rangers also optioned right-hander Cole Winn to Round Rock and recalled right-hander Caleb Boushley. Winn, 25, pitched 2 1/3 innings on Friday. Boushley is fresh and has a 4.50 ERA in 12 innings pitched at the major league level this season.
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