They are quickly running out of time. <\/p>\n
Though you wouldn\u2019t know it from the score of a 2-0 one-hit loss to Toronto, Corey Seager returned to the Rangers lineup on Wednesday<\/a>. He was the DH and went 0 for 4, but is expected to play shortstop come the weekend. In a pre-game workout, Evan Carter sprinted around the bases like a whippet, suggesting his quadriceps is ready to roll and that a rehab assignment might come this weekend<\/a>. Even packed his bags after the game as if he was headed somewhere. Sometime next week, hard as it is to believe, the Rangers may just find themselves with a full roster for the first time this season.<\/p>\n Rangers<\/p>\n Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, just a quick note on this series with Toronto. The Rangers, who got a leadoff hit from Josh Smith to start the bottom of the first and nothing further, scored three runs on a dozen hits over three games. Only the fifth time in this century they\u2019ve reached both those \u201cthresholds,\u201d in a single-series. The two most recent were during the season with two no-hitters of nightmarish 2021.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a simple game,\u201d Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said, sounding a bit like Will Ferrell as Harry Caray. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to put some runs on the board.\u201d <\/p>\n OK. Now, back to the future. If the Rangers do end up with a full roster, what else is there to do with Semien and Garc\u00eda that doesn\u2019t include limiting playing time? The Rangers have twice dropped them in the batting order to where they are bringing up the rear in what has been the worst offense in the American League. They changed batting coaches<\/a>. Semien and Garc\u00eda have both worked at making adjustments, Semien by hitting the ball more to right field and Garc\u00eda trying to take a little off his swing and hit the ball up the middle. If anything, the first month under the new regime has been worse.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got to have days where you give them a break,\u201d Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said after the game of turning to more stringent meritocracy rules. \u201cWith the injuries, it has been a little bit tougher. I don\u2019t think anybody has been worn out or anything. If anything, I think they\u2019ve been working too hard, so we need to back off that a little bit with all the swings.\u201d<\/p>\n Seager\u2019s return gives the Rangers five infielders for four spots. For the next few days, at least, they can rotate infielders through the DH spot. But, if Carter returns next week, they\u2019ll also have four outfielders for three spots because right now it\u2019s impossible to say Alejandro Osuna was just a place-holder. When that happens, somebody is going to find themselves without a spot. <\/p>\n It\u2019s not what the Rangers want to do. It\u2019s not their intent. But they may be getting close to being left without a choice. <\/p>\n Consider first just a couple of snippets from Wednesday\u2019s game: <\/p>\n In the seventh of a scoreless tie, Garcia came to the plate with a runner on base and two outs, got ahead 3-0, took a strike and then swung and missed at two consecutive sliders off and further off the plate to end the inning. <\/p>\n In each of his first two at-bats, Semien got 93 mph fastballs in the center of the plate. On the first, his foul tip resulted in a strikeout. On the second, he lifted a soft fly ball to right field. Pitches he has in the past pounded. In his third at-bat, Semien popped out to the catcher on a 1-0 fastball at the extreme upper outside edge of the zone.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a whole lot of trying different things for me right now to try and get back on track,\u201d Semien said. \u201cTonight, first at bat, I was a little bit late. Next at bat, I hit one to right field with not much authority. The next at-bat I popped out. And that was my night.\u201d<\/p>\n Taken alone, it\u2019s a bad night. But it\u2019s been two months of bad nights. And that followed six months of struggles in 2024. <\/p>\n In May, which coincides with the change in hitting coaches, Semien is hitting .163 with a .464 OPS. He has one extra-base hit for the month and one double for the season. His .484 OPS for the season makes it one of the worst starts by any MLB regular in the last decade. Since 2016, only three other players have had 200 or more plate appearances by the end of May and an OPS below .490. For context, the former Ranger Chris Davis, whose rapid decline in 2018 was legendary, was at .483 at the end of May. <\/p>\n Garc\u00eda is hitting .195 for May with a .556 OPS. His batting average for the season fell to .208 and his OPS to .627. He is among the most overzealous chasers in baseball and has 25 strikeouts in his last 20 games. <\/p>\n \u201cI mean, it\u2019s tough,\u201d Garc\u00eda said of his May and his search for solutions. \u201cI\u2019ve been through months where I wasn\u2019t getting many hits before, years ago, but, like this one is really tough, really, really tough. I\u2019m gonna keep working every day. I\u2019m trying to keep it simple and stay on strikes in the zone.\u201d <\/p>\n Said Semien: \u201cI believe in myself. I wouldn\u2019t be here if I didn\u2019t believe myself. I know it\u2019s not going to happen overnight. It\u2019s going to have to be a lot of good days in row. That\u2019s what I\u2019m working towards.\u201d <\/p>\n The Rangers have done everything they can to facilitate that and help the veteran duo get started. They\u2019ve had the luxury of giving them extra time since there has been a shortage of position players. But even that \u201cluxury\u201d may be evaporating. <\/p>\n And it leaves the Rangers with no choices but to consider just how far into meritocracy they are willing to lean.<\/p>\n Frustration boiling over: See photos from Texas Rangers’ shutout loss to Blue Jays<\/p>\n Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Texas](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1748491630_730_JRKWUOSHNZCJZHQGYFY43W4X6U.jpg\")
Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garc\u00eda grounds out during the second inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at Globe Life Field in Arlington . (Shafkat Anowar \/ Staff Photographer)<\/p>\n![\"Texas](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MVPBZANZIZEQTGICHXCGZARZN4.jpg\")
View GalleryTexas Rangers\u2019 Cody Bradford set for pivotal test in return from elbow sprain<\/a>Evan Carter could take key step toward Texas Rangers return this weekend<\/a><\/p>\n