Evan Carter Unlikely To Play Again During 2024 Season

Rangers rookie outfielder Evan Carter has probably played his last game of the season, as GM Chris Young told reporters (including Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News) that the team doesn’t expect Carter to return from the injured list before the regular-season schedule wraps up.  A postseason return might be possible, but not probable given the long-term nature of Carter’s injury.  Carter has missed over two months due to a lumbar strain in his back, and the Rangers officially moved him to the 60-man IL yesterday in order to create some space on the 40-man roster.

“His back continues to give him a little bit of trouble when he ramps up his hitting progression,” Young said.  “We’ve seen multiple specialists in the past week and determined that he is going to need a more lengthy time period to rest his back without rotational activities.  So, I’m not overly optimistic that we’re going to see Evan again in the regular season.  It’s just going to take some time and we want to protect him.  He is a huge part of our future.”

It seemed like Carter was making decent progress earlier this month and was starting to take part in more baseball-related activities in preparation for a minor league rehab assignment.  However, Texas manager Bruce Bochy explained to media yesterday that Carter had been shut down due to continued discomfort in his back, and that extended period now looks like it will bring Carter’s 2024 campaign to an end.  Neither Young or Bochy mentioned the possibility of a surgery to address the issue, so it seems as though Carter will try to go on the mend with just rest and recovery.

So much has already happened in Carter’s young career that it is easy to forget that he doesn’t turn 22 until next month, and he made his Major League debut less than 11 months ago.  Carter was one of baseball’s more highly-touted prospects at the time of his debut, yet he exceeded all expectations by hitting .306/.413/.645 in his first 75 plate appearances in the regular season, and followed that up with a .300/.417/.500 slash line in 72 PA in the postseason.

This starring role in the Rangers’ World Series run made Carter a heavy favorite for AL Rookie of the Year honors heading into 2024, but he hit only .188/.272/.361 over 162 PA this season.  The back problem was obviously a factor in that lack of production, and as Grant noted, Carter also missed a lot of the 2021 minor league season with a stress fracture in his back.  Since Carter recovered from that prior injury in good form, there’s hope he can similarly rebound in 2025, yet two significant back problems in four years is certainly a bigger-picture cause for concern.