Rangers first baseman/outfielder Ronald Guzman will undergo right knee surgery and miss the remainder of the season, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News was among those to report. Guzman suffered a torn meniscus on April 12.
Guzman, who was playing his first-ever game in the outfield, had to be carted off after incurring the injury at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay. The Rangers immediately placed Guzman on the 10-day injured list, but the hope was that he would be able to rehab and return during the season. Instead, Texas will go the rest of 2021 without Guzman, who’s in his final pre-arbitration year.
Now 26, Guzman was a prospect of some note during his younger days in the Texas organization. But Guzman hasn’t produced much in the majors, where he has put up a .227/.304/.414 line with 31 home runs over 826 plate appearances. He finished with one hit (a homer) and a walk in 17 PA this year.
Guzman was splitting time at first base with Nate Lowe prior to the injury, and the latter has since commandeered the position. Lowe, whom the Rangers acquired from the Rays over the winter, has slashed .254/.346/.493 with five HRs in 81 trips to the plate this season.
Hate that for Guzman. In the Fall league and in Spring Training he looked like he might be figuring things out.
I think this also ends his tenure with the Rangers unfortunately. Really like him but the inconsistency and lack of options to play him in the field even with his amazing defense can only go so far. Lowe and probably Curtis Terry will be the next up at the position with Lowe showing he can hit lefties some unlike Guzman.
Lowe for sure, but either Apostel or Sam Huff will be up before long. I don’t think Terry is really considered a 1B prospect of note.
That artificial turf at the trop needs to go. Concrete and carpet is not a baseball field. Too many damn players have been injured playing on that shit.
I didn’t see the play but the first thing I thought of seeing this article was to wonder if the artificial turf had anything to do with the injury. That stadium seems pretty much like a joke.
There’s nothing you can see in the video that indicates his cleat got stuck or anything. I don’t think the turf had anything to do with it.
I think he’s just a really big dude and when he tried to pivot to avoid a collision, his weight went into his knee.
It’s about as innocuous a looking play as there is.
You are apparently too young to remember Veterans Stadium, Riverfront Stadium, Three Rivers Stadium, The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, The Kingdome, Olympic Stadium, The Astrodome, Kauffman Stadium (prior to 1995), Bush Stadium (prior to 1996), The Rogers Center (previously The Sky Dome, prior to 2005), all had “concrete and carpet” for decades. Until the Rays get out of Tropicana Field it will be hard to put anything else in because they can’t grow grass in the Dome
Well yeah I don’t remember any of those stadiums, Im 30… I was 5 years old in 1996 lol
You also forgot Candlestick Park in the 70s/80s..
You can’t tell me that injuries can’t be linked to artificial turf, Evan Longoria has plannerfinitis and I guarantee that’s from playing the majority of his career in the trop. Concrete just isn’t as forgiving on the human body as the earth is.
While the turf is murder on the body, especially the knees (ask Andre Dawson) i can’t specifically say that it is solely the field surface to blame on some injuries. Longoria may have plantar fasciitis but guys who don’t play regularly on turf get it too. Albert Pujols has had issues with it since joining the Angels and Mark McGwire had it and missed most of the 1993 and 1994 seasons because of it.
Amen!!! How do you invest that much money in a stadium and put your most valuable asset, your players, at risk. Terrible decision!!!
To be fair, the Rays didn’t build Tropicana Field, the city of St.Petersburg did in what would be multiple faild attempts at luring an MLB team to the city. They tried with the White Sox before Chicago agreed to fund (then)new Comisky Park. The Mariners, who apparently decided they’re concrete bowl in Seattle was better than a new concrete in St.Petersburg. and the Giants who were eventually sold to an owner willing to keep the team in San Francisco. They were passed over for Miami when the league expanded in 1992 but eventually succeeded when they were awarded a franchise in 1995. The Rays signed a 30 year lease prior to entering the league and are ultimately stuck there til after the 2027 season, after that who knows
Wanna bet that the 2028 Rays call Las Vegas home??
I was referring to the Rangers installing artificial turf in their brand spanking new stadium in Arlington, Texas. People never learn.
Sad but true. That Trop turf is worse than anything found in an NFL ballpark.
Being from New York, I know that the Yankees try and avoid Judge playing on that concrete grass. I wonder how many other teams limit the exposure of certain players to that surface.
I am assuming it’s more serious than a meniscus, he’d be back by July at the latest if that was the case
I agree. There must be an ACL or PCL tear in there as well. Meniscus surgery requires only requires 6-12 weeks to recover from.
I think it’s another miscue by the Rangers.
Guzman is a first baseman not an outfielder.
Saw the play. It was ugly.
He came in from LF on a fly ball between the infield and outfield. He was watching the ball, not where he was going. As the ball was coming down he looked forward – probably because the 3B and SS were under it and calling for it. He suddenly had to swerve to avoid a collision, plated his foot awkwardly and seemed to bend the area around his knee.
Some research shows that Guzman played OF 8 times in the minor leagues over 6 seasons – the last time was in 2015. Apparently it was his first time playing it in the majors.
Ugly?
He barely pivoted, no cleat got stuck, nothing. It didn’t look like he did anything bad until he had trouble walking.
It was ugly because of the way he moved. Stuck his leg out in an uncoordinated manner to avoid a collision, while the rest of his body didn’t seem to follow.
To call him “unathletic” is an understatement.
When they showed a replay I wondered who it was that thought he could play the OF. Terrible footwork. It was like using an offensive lineman as a cornerback.
Unathletic?!? I disagree, probably the most limber 1st baseman…to bad he didn’t hit enough. He is a better defensive 1B than Lowe….
Just YouTube Ronald Guzman stretch!
I really liked Texas trading for Nate Lowe in the offseason and hoped that he’d win the competition for frontline duties there (which he seemed to be doing) but hate to see his primary ‘competition’ go down for the year. Guzman showed some promise in his debut year and followed up with a decent 2019 as well. Texas was hoping 2020 was an outlier for him, but now they’ll have to wait until 2022 to see if that was the case. He’ll be 27 years old next year so he still has time to prove he belongs in the majors. Hope he heals up quickly and returns with a chip on his shoulder (and not on his knee).
I remember Guzman and mazara signing for big bonuses on intl signing day, they at least made majors but didn’t meet expectations
In other news, Huff is out for another 8 weeks. Oof.
Where did you here that? I hadn’t seen it yet…
Which is fine, we don’t need to waste a season of control this year.
lonestarball.com/2021/4/23/22399976/ronald-guzman-…
Seems kind of unfair for a guy to be a 1b. He is trained to play 1b and the team tells him to go play outfield and he gets hurt. Lot of silly lawsuits in today’s age this sounds legit to me.
“Guzman was splitting time at first base”
Nice
Hope he heals up well. Curious if this would set up more playing time for Khris Davis. Also, if Guzman would appear to be a non-tender candidate in the offseason.
Thus ends the days of GUZMAN the steward of 1st base in Arlington.
Gotta feel for the guy.
Hey question for Rangers fans: I can’t think of another team that I know less about than the Rangers. Who are their best players? Are they rebuilding, contending, buying?
Rebuilding!
Joey Gallo in RF is currently their best player.
Best young rookie pitcher is Dane Dunning (prize for the Lance Lynn trade).
2 Best relief pitchers had TJ a month ago…
Lots of rookies…with some stop gap veterans.
Got it thanks
Isiah kiner falefa won gold glove last year and
Nick solak is showing a lot of promise. And they’re in rebuild mode. They traded andrus and odor in off-season and joey Gallo is their longest tendered player. And I cant think of anybody in lineup that’s 30
Josh Hamilton and Michael Young are pretty good. Beyond that, ya, they’re rebuilding.
I think you are just joking Bob. Both are long gone from the Rangers.
And mlb for that matter