Justin

Foscue

Duran was replaced by Nicky Lopez at shortstop with Justin Foscue taking over at second base after going 0-for-2 at the dish. It doesn’t sound like a serious concern heading into Thursday’s series finale.

Foscue will get a chance to hit near the top of Texas’ lineup, with Andrew McCutchen leading off and Evan Carter being dropped to ninth in the batting order, against lefty opener Sammy Peralta after homering twice in 10 games since being called back up to the majors on May 5.

Foscue drove in three runs in the contest, and he also drew a walk. The former first-round selection hit his second homer of the campaign off Jose Quintana, and both doubles scored runs — and both came off Quintana. He’s been excellent in his limited sample with a slash of .280/.308/.600, and while it’s understandable — and probably wise — to be skeptical, it’s obviously feasible that Foscue is a late bloomer.

Foscue laced a one-out single into left field in the eighth inning to break up Spencer Arrighetti’s no-hitter. His hit would be the only one of the night for the Rangers, who struggled to get anything going despite only striking out six times as a team. It was just the third hit of the season for Foscue, who was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock earlier this month.

The 30-year-old slugger is slashing a ghastly .208/.242/.362 on the season, so taking a couple of days off to retool his swing isn’t the worst idea in the world. Justin Foscue will start in his place at first base and will bat ninth for the Rangers against Jameson Taillon and the Cubs.

Burger has been ice-cold of late, hitting .140 (8-for-57) with one long ball and four RBI over his last 15 games. He’s left the yard only twice since a two-homer outburst back on April 13. It’ll be rookie Justin Foscue getting a look at the cold corner with righty Edward Cabrera toeing the rubber for Chicago on Saturday evening.

Foscue receives another shot in the majors with Josh Smith hitting the shelf with a glute injury. The 27-year-old former first-round pick has struggled to carve out a role at the highest level, hitting .059 (3-for-51) with three RBI in 19 games since 2024. He’s put up decent numbers on the doorstep of the big leagues, but hasn’t been able to take advantage when his number has been called.

The latest batch of cuts from Rangers camp come as little surprise. Foscue was a first-round pick a half-decade ago who has played sparingly at the highest level. Church made five relief appearances for the Rangers last year.

It’s a tough break for Foscue, who is off to a strong start this spring. The 26-year-old former first-round pick smacked a 106-mph single in his lone at-bat of the exhibition contest prior to exiting. He’ll presumably head for further evaluation and testing to determine the severity of the injury. There should be an update on his status in the coming days.

So, it’s a new injury for García, rather than an aggravation of his sprained ankle. It sounds like he might go back on the IL, which could lead to a callup for Justin Foscue. Alejandro Osuna would probably be the biggest beneficiary when it comes to playing time.