ARLINGTON — How did Josh Smith begin his week as the reigning AL Player of the Week?
By sitting on the bench, that’s how.
Smith was out of the Rangers’ lineup on Tuesday due to what manager Bruce Bochy called some left hamstring tightness. Bochy said Smith would not require an IL stint, but did say he was “day to day.”
Smith, who slashed .423/.500/.796/1.269 on the week, felt tightness running the bases during Sunday’s game against Chicago in which he was the DH. He remained in the game for another at-bat, but felt continued soreness. The Rangers pinch-hit Sam Haggerty for him in the eighth inning of the game.
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At the time, it wasn’t clear that he’d suffered an injury; the Rangers pinch hit for him against a lefty, which appeared to simply be a platoon switch in a one-run game.
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With Smith out of the lineup, Evan Carter slid into the leadoff spot. It’s just the second time Carter has hit leadoff in the majors in his career. The other occasion was May 12 of this season.
Carter, however, has been just as hot as Smith lately. Though he missed a game with a sore wrist last week, he actually had better slash line numbers than Smith at .444/.545/.889/1.434. Carter had only 22 plate appearances, however, compared to 30 for Smith.
Twitter: @Evan_P_Grant
AdvertisementRelated StoriesRead MoreTexas Rangers pitchers Nathan Eovaldi, Cody Bradford take big steps toward return to moundEovaldi’s been out since May 29 and Bradford is yet to pitch this season.Who is Josh Smith? 10 things to know about the Texas Rangers’ Swiss Army knifeSmith is as versatile as they come and took home a Silver Slugger Award for his exploits in 2024.Advertisement
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