As the Texas Rangers cling to their playoff hopes by the skin of their teeth, the team got some bad news on Tuesday when manager Bruce Bochy had to scratch Josh Smith from the lineup.
Smith is dealing with an infected elbow, according to MLB.com's Kennedi Landry.
He was in the lineup batting third and playing shortstop for the Rangers in their series opener against the Minnesota Twins. Ezequiel Duran replaces Smith at short and will bat ninth, while first baseman Alejandro Osuna will now bat third.
Bochy added that he considers Smith to be day-to-day and he is on medication to treat the infection. No further information is available at this time, so it is still unknown if this ailment will keep him out deeper into the week.
The utility man is in his fourth Major League season and is slashing .251/.335/.361 with a 105 OPS+ in 142 games. He won the Silver Slugger last year for utility players in what has been the best offensive season of his career to date. Smith hit 13 home runs with a .731 OPS in 2024 while playing five different positions and DH-ing.
The Rangers enter Tuesday at 79-77, five games out of the last American League wild card spot with six left to play, meaning their playoff chances are next to zero. That was far from the case just 10 days ago. The Rangers woke up on Saturday, September 13 winners of six straight games and just two games out of the playoff hunt with 13 to play.
With the Rangers limping toward the offseason, Bochy also announced on Tuesday that the team has shut down Corey Seager and Marcus Semien for the season. Both had previously been working toward a return.
Patrick Corbin gets the ball for the Rangers on Tuesday night against Minnesota opposite Zebby Matthews for the Twins. First pitch is slated for 8:05 p.m. ET.
