Rangers utility man Josh Smith has been one of the club’s most potent offensive players this year, slashing an excellent .294/.384/.436 in 243 trips to the plate while primarily splitting time between third base and shortstop. That performance has been good for an excellent wRC+ of 137, although Smith’s elevated .358 BABIP and relatively pedestrian .311 xwOBA both indicate there may be some good fortune baked into those results.
However lucky Smith’s results may be, it appears that he’s earned himself more playing time going forward. While Smith has found himself sidelined in recent days, manager Bruce Bochy told reporters (including Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News) that Smith has been dealing with “general tightness” but that he’s played himself into a regular role with the club when healthy. It’s fairly easy to see why the club would commit more playing time to Smith going forward, as well. After all, that aforementioned 137 wRC+ is ten points ahead of shortstop Corey Seager for the team lead.
What perhaps makes things a little bit more complicated for Smith is that third baseman Josh Jung is on the verge of a rehab assignment and figures to get regular at-bats of his own upon returning to the lineup. With Jung and Seager set to play virtually every day on the left side of the infield, Smith’s most common positions figure to no longer be available to him. Even so, there’s plenty of room for improvement in a Rangers lineup that ranks just 23rd in the majors with a 93 wRC+ this year. Smith has some experience in the outfield, and all four of Evan Carter, Wyatt Langford, Adolis Garcia, and Leody Taveras have underperformed to varying degrees this year at the plate. That should make it fairly simple to work Smith into the outfield and DH mix on a regular basis, though Grant also suggests that Smith could take some reps at first base over Nathaniel Lowe.
In other Rangers news, veteran ace Max Scherzer threw 79 pitched for Triple-A Round Rock last night, striking out eight batters while allowing three runs across 4 2/3 innings of work. Bochy indicated to reporters (including Josh Kirshenbaum of MLB.com) prior to Scherzer’s start that it could be his final rehab appearance before returning to the majors if all went well. Barring some sort of setback for Scherzer in the aftermath of last night’s start, it appears he could be back in the Rangers rotation later this week.
The veteran right-hander’s return to the majors should offer a huge boost to a Texas club that has dealt with a number of injuries in their starting rotation this year. Jacob deGrom, Tyler Mahle, and Cody Bradford are all currently on the 60-day IL alongside Scherzer, and the club has also spent time without each of Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Dane Dunning, and Michael Lorenzen due to injury this season. Left-hander Andrew Heaney began the campaign in the bullpen but was almost immediately moved into the rotation due to injuries; upon Scherzer’s return, he and Lorenzen appear to be the most likely candidates to join fellow swing man Jose Urena in the club’s relief corps.
While Scherzer appears to be wrapping up his rehab assignment, another hurler is on the verge of beginning a rehab assignment of his own: right-hander Josh Sborz, who has been sidelined since April by a rotator cuff strain. As noted on MLB.com’s Injury Tracker, Sborz is set to begin a rehab assignment with Round Rock today. If the righty is nearing a return to the bullpen, he could provide a shot in the arm for a Rangers bullpen that ranks sixth from the bottom among all major league clubs.
Sborz had a 1.69 ERA and 2.96 FIP in seven appearances prior to his placement on the IL this year, and while the righty struggled to a 5.50 ERA in 2023, much of that was due to an unbelievably low 56.2% strand rate. Sborz’s 30.7% strikeout rate, 3.75 FIP, 3.35 xERA, and 3.05 SIERA all point to the righty’s ability to be an impactful relief arm for the Rangers. Texas is currently relying on a combination of Kirby Yates, David Robertson, and Jose Leclerc in the late innings.
Have enough games scheduled against the A’s and Angels and you are never out of contention!
The As will find a way to inexplicably clobber us when we need it the least. It’s what they do best haha.
Does anyone else feel that the lighting in the rangers stadium is atrocious? I feel like I’m watching a minor league game!
Is that the effect that’s atrocious or just the lineup this year haha? we just have not been any good at baseball this season. The entire AL West is just meh this year.
Well you’re 9.5 games behind the Mariners and they haven’t even started hitting yet; so I would say the Mariners aren’t so “meh.”
8.5 behind so yeah Id agree with “meh”
A 1st place team with a +19 Run Differential (+12 yesterday) is very “meh”
If they do make it to the postseason it will end very quickly with the kind of run production they are producing.
And we all know the big bat isn’t coming at the trade deadline to keep them in 1st, if anything it will be a minor bullpen piece & a past his prime hitter.
The Mariners are as equipped as anybody with trade chips, so they will land somebody. This time last year they were 10 games under .500 and then started hitting and they ended up one game out of the postseason, so I like their current positioning. Who do you think is going to overtake them in the West?? Even if the Rangers had 5 Jacob deGrom’s coming back in July, they haven’t been able to hit themselves out of a paper bag. Did you see what just happened to them in Seattle??
No, it’s just you, with your boring comment.
If it’s between Lorenzen and Heaney going to the pen, it’s gotta be Heaney
But Heaney is the only lefty.
That’s Heim and not Smith in the photo.
What an ignorant take on your part. I don’t believe Seager has ever been accused of taking “roids”. If I had to guess, I think you’re an upset Trashtros fan who still can’t get over the fact that your team choked away games at home during the ALCS. Go back to beating on trash cans.