Evan

Carter

Carter has hit .145/.188/.197 in 82 plate appearances this month, lowering his OPS from .672 to .608. His defense in center still grades out well, and he’s not going to make much money as a first-time arbitration-eligible player next year, so September isn’t necessarily a make-or-break month for his future in Texas. It sure would be nice to see something encouraging from him offensively, though.

Carter started against each of the other three left-handers that the Rangers faced this week, but he’ll get a breather in this one with Yusei Kikuchi taking the ball for the Halos. Ezequiel Duran will cover center field in his absence while Justin Foscue starts at second base and bats leadoff for the Rangers.

Carter will take a seat with left-hander Cade Povich toeing the slab for the Orioles on Sunday afternoon. Cam Cauley will start in his place in center field and will bat ninth for the Rangers on Sunday at Globe Life Field.

He also drew a walk for a three-reach day. Carter’s RBI came on an opposite-field single to left that extended the Rangers’ lead to 3-1, and gave the 23-year-old his 28th run driven in of 2026. The steal was his 14th, and Carter has provided some value on the bases while showing a solid approach at the plate. Unfortunately, it hasn’t come with much help in other categories this year, and his .204 average and .352 slugging percentage are tough to stomach.

Carter entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning where he reached on an infield single and came around to score on an RBI knock by Alejandro Osuna. He then crushed a 422-foot (104.4-mph EV) solo shot off of Kyle Finnegan in the eighth inning that increased the Rangers’ lead to 10-4. With his two-hit attack, the 23-year-old outfielder is now slashing .186/.295/.338 with seven homers, 22 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 241 plate appearances on the year.

On the day that the Rangers lose Wyatt Langford (hamstring) to the injured list, they at least get reinforcements in the return of Carter. The 23-year-old outfielder had been shelved since June 13 due to a right oblique strain. He’ll start in center field and bat seventh against Blue Jays’ right-hander Shane Bieber on Sunday afternoon in Toronto.

Carter clobbered a leadoff homer and reached base safely in all three of his plate appearances during his rehab debut. He also logged five innings in center field. The 23-year-old will likely get a couple additional contests under his belt to get back up to speed before returning to the Rangers lineup. He’s been out with a minor right oblique strain since mid-June.

No word on the severity of the strain, which will determine how much time Carter misses. The 23-year-old suffered the injury while making a phenomenal diving catch in shallow center field during Friday’s series opener against the Red Sox. There should be a definitive return timetable at some point later this weekend.

It sounded like a precautionary move when Carter left Friday’s contest in the fifth inning following a phenomenal defensive play in left field the prior inning. He’ll undergo further evaluation and possibly imaging this weekend to determine the severity of the issue. The 23-year-old was 0-for-2 at the dish prior to leaving the contest at Fenway Park.

Carter returns to patrolling center field following a brief two-game absence after being hit by a pitch on the left foot during last Friday’s game. The 23-year-old underwent X-rays that came back negative for any fractures, but needed a couple days off for the pain and swelling to subside.