The Rangers informed reporters, incl Kennedy Landry on MLB.comthat they emphasize the outfield prospect Evan Carter. He will take the active roster spot on Adolis Garcia, who will go on the 10-day injured list with a right patellar tendon strain. Carter needs a matching move to be added to the 40-man roster, which will be reported on Friday, per Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today.
It was reported earlier that the Rangers were considering a promotion for Carter, a report that preceded GarcÃa’s injury. Carter could have been promoted this week regardless, but it looks like GarcÃa’s knee issue has given the club enough incentive to pull the trigger and it will happen.
It was a bit of a belated birthday present for Carter, who turned 21 a little over a week ago. The 50th overall pick from the 2020 draft, Carter wasn’t a high-profile prospect at the time but has risen through the ranks since then. Last year, he hit .287/.388/.476 through 100 games in High-A for a wRC+ of 136, which shows he was 36% better than the league average. He also stole 26 bases and earned a late-season bump to Double-A.
This year, he hit .284/.411/.451 in 97 Double-A games for a 132 wRC+, stealing another 22 bases in the process. He was recently promoted to Triple-A after eight games there but already has a chance to make it to the big leagues.
Carter is currently considered the #10 prospect in the league by Baseball AmericaThis is #32 FanGraphsThis is #8 MLB PipelineThis is #14 ESPN and #10 by Keith Law of The Athletic. He is considered by every outlet to be a capable center fielder with a keen eye at the plate, as he has produced double-digit walk rates at every stop on the minor league ladder. . The major long-term question seems to be whether he has the power to be more than a speed-and-defense specialist. He hit 11 home runs in High-A last year and has 12 in Double-A this year. But he has a respectable floor even if the power doesn’t improve, thanks to his other tools.
He will now have a chance to see how he fares at the major league level, replacing GarcÃa, who injured himself crashing into a wall while trying to catch a home run. According to Landry’s report, the Rangers are cautiously optimistic that GarcÃa will have a chance to return this year, but the window is tight. There are more than three weeks left in the regular season schedule, which could be a tight window for GarcÃa’s return.
He’s a powerful but volatile part of the club’s lineup, having socked 34 home runs this year but also striking out 27.4% of his plate appearances. The past month has been a notable low point, as he’s hit just .152/.236/.333 from August 7th to now, hitting 37.3% of his trips to the plate in that span. That rough stretch for GarcÃa coincided with the club going through a terrible cold spell, falling from first to third in the American League West and half a game behind the Blue Jays for the final Wild Card spot.
Despite the recent results, GarcÃa has been one of the club’s best players this year and it will be a challenge to continue without him. The club is hoping Carter can provide some excitement and their pitching staff will come together as they look to finish strong and make the postseason for the first time since 2016.
Carter does not have enough time to exhaust his rookie status for the rest of the 2023 season, which is known under the current collective bargaining agreement. If clubs have a rookie and top prospect on their roster for a full year of service, that player earns the club an additional draft pick by winning the Rookie of the Year award or placing in the top three in Most Valuable Player voting in years prior to arbitration. .
Because of his high prospect status, Carter is in the mix for prospect promotion incentives, but that’s a matter for another day. For now, he will focus on making his major league debut, jumping into a playoff race and into the Texas outfield with him. Leody Taveras, Robbie Grossman, Travis Jankowski and JP MartÃnez.