Josh

Smith

Carter sat against a left-hander on Wednesday, but the Reds will start all right-handed pitchers this weekend, which is good news for Carter, Josh Smith, and Joc Pederson. They can all be started in leagues where you can make mid-week lineupm changes.

With left-hander Trevor Rogers on the mound, the Rangers will sit a few of their left-handed hitters. Smith has made one start this season against a lefty, but has sat out the last two. Andrew McCutchen will start in right field and bat fifth, Ezequiel Duran will start at second base and hit eighth, and Sam Haggerty will start in left field and bat ninth.

Smith played third base for the second time this spring. His other 12 starts have come at second, which is supposed to be his position this year, but the Rangers do want him to stay fresh at the hot corner in case they need him to take over for Josh Jung.

Smith delivered an RBI double in the third inning that increased the Rangers’ advantage to 4-2. He then tacked onto that lead with a 427-foot (106.1 mph EV) two-run blast off of Jimmy Herget in the fifth inning. The versatile 28-year-old has been locked in at the plate this spring, hitting .387 (12-for-31) with three long balls, seven RBI and a stolen base.

Smith took advantage of a 78-mph curve from Vitor Takahashi in the third and a 79-mph slider from Hugo Kanabushi in the fifth in a rare spring power outburst. It’s as many homers as he had in 61 official spring games since the beginning of 2023. Smith is slated to serve as the Rangers’ primary second baseman this season after spending the last two years getting regular time despite having no position all to himself. He hit .251/.335/.366 with 10 homers and 12 steals in 563 plate appearances last season.

Smith barely missed being arbitration eligible last year, which would have boosted his 2026 salary, too. Still, this isn’t bad for someone with three-[plus years of service time. Smith hit .251/.335/.366 in 563 plate appearances last season. He’s likely to be the Rangers’ second baseman against right-handers following the Marcus Semien trade.

Smith, who hit .251/.335/.366 with 10 homers in 563 plate appearances in 2025, has played pretty regularly against right-handers the last two years, but he hasn’t really had a spot of his own. That might change now. Semien’s departure also might lessen the chances of Josh Jung being dealt, since Smith having his own spot would take him out of the mix at third base. Of course, it’s still really early, and the Rangers, who non-tendered former All-Stars Adolis García and Jonah Heim, have made it clear they’re willing to make big changes.

The versatile 28-year-old will miss the final series of the season as he welcomes a new addition to his family. Donovan Solano was promoted from Triple-A Round Rock to take his place on the active roster.

Smith is starting today, and he’s planning to travel to Cleveland with the team after the game, but that could change at a moment’s notice. Ezequiel Duran would likely start at shortstop if Smith departs.

Smith didn’t show any lingering effects from an elbow infection that kept him out of the lineup earlier this week when he connected for a fourth-inning solo shot against Twins starter Taj Bradley. It was his 10th long ball of the season and first time leaving the yard since July 27.