The Wild Card race continues to heat up in the American League, particularly out West. The Texas Rangers, courtesy of a 7-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, extended their winning streak to six games, staying in the running for the third and final Wild Card spot and trimming the Seattle Mariners' lead over them to just 1.5 games. However, the Rangers may have paid a huge price on Monday, as Adolis Garcia had to exit the game early with a quad injury.
The good news for the Rangers, of course, is that Alejandro Osuna, the man who replaced Garcia in the lineup, came up huge on Monday, hitting a two-run single in the top of the ninth to give Texas the victory. Nevertheless, Garcia is one of the biggest run-producers of the Rangers' lineup, and his potential absence could end up costing the team in this chase for a playoff spot.
What's worrying is that Rangers manager Bruce Bochy did not sound too upbeat regarding Garcia's condition, which could suggest an injury-related absence for the right fielder over the next few days.
“Doesn't stop, doesn't it? He was playing so well. We will evaluate him tomorrow. It's a right quad [injury]. That's where he feels it. We're hoping for the best news tomorrow,” Bochy said, via Rangers Sports Network.
Hear from Bochy after the 7-5 come-from-behind win:
⭐️ Young kids Freeman and Osuna came through
⭐️ Patrick Corbin's outing
⭐️ Chris Martin's scoreless inning
⭐️ Update on Adolis Garcia pic.twitter.com/LLCH9l5kBt— Rangers Sports Network (@RangersSNtv) September 2, 2025
On Monday, Garcia went hitless before exiting the game after the top-half of the ninth inning. He may not be having the best 2025 season, but he is a trusted power producer for the Rangers, and he leads the team in runs batted in. So as suboptimal as his .685 OPS is on the year, he is still someone they will miss dearly should he have to miss some time.
Rangers look to continue putting pressure on the Mariners
The MLB regular season will teach anyone that it's not about how you start, it's how you finish. The Rangers were in danger of falling off the pace recently, but brought themselves back with a much-needed winning streak.
Alas, the Rangers are entering a very difficult portion of the schedule. After this ongoing series against the Diamondbacks, they will be facing two division leaders in consecutive three-game series, with the Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers set to come into town. After those two series, they'll be facing the New York Mets, a team that's hanging onto their Wild Card spot at the moment, and then another series against the Astros awaits.
Garcia will be missed if he were need to take some time off to recover, so the Rangers will have to hold the fort.
