Getting back to the hunt for a World Series berth is always hard. Bruce Bochy and the Texas Rangers are learning this in the most difficult way. As of writing, they currently sit third in the AL West behind the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros. While being behind by 4.5 games is not that bad, injuries to guys like Josh Jung, Evan Carter, Jon Gray, and Cole Winn are going to be huge factors in their hard attempt to climb back up. All of this starts when they face the St. Louis Cardinals.
Bad news for Bruce Bochy
Bruce Bochy is not going to have a complete squad against the Cardinals. The Rangers are still not going to have Evan Carter after his unfortunate injury, per the team's communications site. This young outfielder is currently suffering from a lumbar injury which prompted the team managers to put him on the 60-day IL. It is unfortunate that he had to face this decision because his run was fairly serviceable. During the 2024 season, he racked in a line of .188/ .272/ .361. All of this makes his career batting average clock in at .223 alongside 27 RBIs with 15 of them coming from this season.
Another key absence in this opener against the Cardinals is Jon Gray. The Rangers pitcher is still enduring a groin injury and has been placed in the 15-day IL. Before going down with the injury, he played 20 games for Bochy's squad. This run saw him notch a 3.73 ERA alongside a 1.26 WHIP. Moreover, his 39 earned runs have helped the Rangers to five wins in nine appearances.
Cole Winn is also a pitcher that the Rangers will not have when they face the Cardinals. A shoulder injury has been bogging him down which led to him getting placed in the 60-day IL. The 24-year-old relief pitcher still needs to improve on his game but he has logged in a 7.79 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 14 strikeouts.
A positive before Cardinals vs. Rangers
It was not only bad news that struck the Rangers faithful before their series opener. After rehabilitating and recovering from a right wrist fracture, Josh Jung has been activated from the 60-day IL. The third baseman and his production were clearly missed in the rotation. So far, he had only played four games for Bochy and got to hold the bat 17 times. Throughout that span of time, he registered a .412 AVG. Jung was able to do this alongside five runs, six RBIs, and two walks.
Along with this move, the squad has also decided to activate Cody Bradford. Ezequiel Duran and Gerson Garabito were also recalled from Triple-A Round Rock to help bolster their chances of making a late-season push. The injury bug truly is the most tough adversary that squads have to deal with.
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