Rangers place OF Wyatt Langford on 10-day IL with left hamstring strain, activate Evan Carter
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.
"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.
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 appearances. He's played excellent defense in center field, credited with 5 Defensive Runs Saved and 7 Outs Above Average.
