ARLINGTON — The Texas Rangers might be in need of an everyday center fielder with Leody Taveras on waivers, Evan Carter still in the minor leagues for now and Kevin Pillar only playing against left-handers. Super utility man Josh Smith needs to find his way into the lineup on a near-daily basis.
See where this is going?
Though Smith played center field for the second time this season and hit leadoff vs. the Seattle Mariners Sunday at Globe Life Field, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said before that it’s unlikely that they’d pigeonhole him at any singular position because of his versatility.
Rangers
“You need that guy on the club,” Bochy said. “He gives guys a break.”
Smith has played seven defensive positions — shortstop, third base, first base, second base, left field, center field and right field — and played designated hitter in 29 games this season. He’s the only player in baseball who’s done so this season and just the fourth player to do so in Rangers history.
“It’s kind of fun,” Smith said, who had a career-best four hits Sunday. “I like playing center field a lot. It’s different. It’s a long run in and out, especially when you’re leading innings off, but it’s fun. I like being available wherever I can.”
It’d take a full-strength Rangers lineup for Smith to land a full-time gig at any defensive position on a regular basis anyway. He has started the bulk of his games at shortstop in relief of Corey Seager, who missed a week-and-a-half with a hamstring strain, and has dotted his way around the field as an injury substitute at third base and left field too.
Carter, the once-presumed heir to the center field position, may not be long from his return to the major leagues. He finished the month of April with a seven-game hitting streak at Triple-A Round Rock and hit his third home run of the season Saturday night as a pinch hitter against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys.
Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Click or tap here to sign up for our Rangers newsletter.