Texas Rangers outfielder Evan Carter was looking like he would be one of the best young superstars in baseball. Unfortunately for him and the Rangers, he just hasn't been able to stay healthy, and may not be seeing the field again anytime soon.
Carter has been on the injured list with lower back soreness and hasn't played since May 28.
After Friday's 6-5 walk-off loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy spoke about Carter's rehab to Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News.
“He’s just not quite coming along like we were hoping,” Bochy said.
There was some recent optimism that Carter could be working his way back to a return after he rejoined the team after the All-Star break and began ramping up baseball activities. However, it appears that Carter suffered a setback. Bochy says that Carter is now set to visit a back specialist in California for a checkup. Until they get a clean report back, he will effectively shut down according to McFarland.
The Rangers desperately need the 21-year-old Carter to return and play like he did during last year's postseason as they try and make up ground in the AL West.
Evan Carter's tough season with Rangers
Even though Carter still technically has his rookie eligibility this season, expectations for him were sky-high after his impressive late-season call up and postseason performance as he helped the Rangers win the World Series. During the 23 regular season games last year, Carter hit .306/.413/.645 with five home runs and 12 RBI. In the postseason, he hit .300/.417/.500 and looked like one of the Rangers' best players.
However, when Carter has been healthy and available this season he has struggled. He's hitting just .188/.272/.361 and hasn't looked like the same player that took the baseball world by storm last fall.
Not only is Carter struggling, but the Rangers have also failed to meet expectations. After Friday's loss to the Blue Jays, the Rangers are 51-53 and are in third place and 3.5 games behind the Houston Astros in the AL West. Despite this, all indications point to the Rangers buying at the deadline to try and make another postseason push.
Regardless of what the Rangers do at the deadline, they need Carter to return to the lineup play like he did last season. If he does, it might just give the reigning World Series champions the boost they need to turn their season around.
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