Josh

Smith

Smith is back from hamstring inflammation. The former Rangers utilityman hit .250 with two homers in 14 games for the Blue Jays before landing on the injured list 12 days ago. He’ll likely see starts at both second and third against right-handers.

The versatile 29-year-old has been sidelined since August 20 due to inflammation in his left hamstring. It sounds like he’ll play a couple of games in the minors before rejoining the Jays as soon as his 10 days on the injured list are up.

Smith suffered the injury during Wednesday’s ballgame. No word yet on the severity of the injury or how much time he’s expected to miss. Davis Schneider was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move to take his place on the Jays’ active roster.

Smith smacked a two-out single off of Zack Wheeler in the fourth inning and scored on an RBI single off the bat of Nathan Lukes. He then singled in the sixth inning, swiped second base and scored on a sacrifice fly by Alejandro Kirk. The versatile 29-year-old then connected on a 383-foot (103.8-mph EV) solo shot off of Caleb Kilian in the eighth inning. With his three-hit attack, Smith is now hitting .219/.299/.295 with two homers, nine RBI and four stolen bases in 164 plate appearances on the season.

It seems like a routine day off for the struggling first baseman, who is slashing .259/.338/.349 with six home runs and 44 RBI in 456 plate appearances. He has a career-low 6.7 percent barrel rate and 43.6 percent hard-hit rate on the season in what has been an incredibly disappointing year. Kazuma Okamoto will first start at first base and bat second, with Josh Smith starting at third base and batting sixth.

It’s unclear if Smith will have a regular role in Toronto. As of now, it seems likely that he could back up at 2B, 3B, SS, and LF and hope to recoup some of his value heading into arbitration.

Smith was a darling for the Rangers in 2025 as a utility player, but he hit .213/.299/.272 in 154 plate appearances this year and has spent most of the season in Triple-A. Macko is a 25-year-old left-handed pitcher who was moved to the bullpen this season. He has a 4.91 ERA in 22 innings for the Blue Jays, but he has shown strikeout upside in the minors as a starter before, so it remains to be seen how the Rangers want to use him.

Smith has been out of the Rangers plans in 2026, playing just 45 games while hitting .213/.299/.272. The Rangers are operating as if the 2024-2025 version of Smith doesn’t appear to be coming back any time soon.

Smith bolsters Texas’ infield depth with third baseman Josh Jung landing on the injured list with a calf strain. The versatile 28-year-old has mostly stuck to second base this season, but he’s capable of playing almost anywhere on the diamond. The big issue for him has been offensive production since he’s hit just .230 with one homer and two steals in 40 games this season. He spent the last couple weeks in the minors after Wyatt Langford came off the injured list.

Smith’s bat actually showed some signs of life this time around, but with Wyatt Langford (hamstring) returning from the injured list on Thursday, he gets squeezed off of the Rangers’ bench. He’ll return to an everyday role at the Triple-A level until he’s needed once more.