Following a breakout 2023 postseason, Evan Carter was limited to 45 games played in 2024 due to injury concerns. The Texas Rangers outfielder was scratched from Friday's spring training game against the Cubs, however, it is not due to an injury. Rather, Carter is dealing with an illness, according to Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News.

“Evan Carter has been scratched from Rangers lineup today. Want to be clear. This is NOT injury-related. He has the same flu/respiratory infection/crud that has been making it's way through Rangers clubhouse,” Grant wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Dealing with an illness is obviously far from ideal. At the very least, Carter is not dealing with an injury. The Rangers are hoping that the 22-year-old outfielder can avoid the injury bug during the 2025 season.

Carter has appeared in a total of 68 big league games. He enjoyed a strong 2023 postseason, playing a significant role in the Rangers' World Series run. In 2024, though, Carter slashed just .188/.272/.361/.633 across his aforementioned 45 games played. The outfielder simply never found his rhythm.

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Carter's injury concerns likely played a role in his underperformance. Finding success in limited action is a difficult task to accomplish. One has to imagine that Carter will bounce back if he manages to stay healthy in 2025.

The Rangers still feature an overall talented roster. The 2024 season saw the ball club battle no shortage of injury concerns. Avoiding injury trouble will obviously be of the utmost importance for the 2025 Rangers.

The American League West has become a rather winnable division. There is no clear favorite at the moment, leaving the door open for Texas to make a run at a division title. Evan Carter's performance will likely play an important role in the Rangers' potential success during the upcoming campaign.

Meanwhile, the Rangers and Cubs will go head-to-head on Friday in Arizona in a spring training clash at 3:05 PM EST.