Texas Rangers Announce Disappointing 2024 Outlook For Young Outfielder

Texas Rangers rookie outfielder Evan Carter is unlikely to return during the regular season while he recovers from a lower lumbar sprain, general manager Chris Young said.

May 10, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Texas Rangers outfielder Evan Carter (32) after striking out in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

ST. LOUIS — Texas Rangers outfielder Evan Carter was supposed to be enjoying his first full season in the Majors in 2024.

Instead, the 21-year-old is likely to be sidelined for the remainder of the regular season to give a his injured back more time to recover from a lower lumbar sprain.

Rangers general manager Chris Young said Carter is being forced to rest his back after consulting with a back specialist in California. Carter has been on the injured list since May 28.

"It continues to give him a little bit of trouble when he ramps up his hitting progression. We've seen multiple specialists in the past week and determined that Evan is going to need a more lengthy time period to rest his back without rotational activity. I'm not overly optimistic that we're going to see Evan again in the regular season."

Surgery isn't necessary, Young said.

"These types of injuries, based on what I understand from the experts that Evan has seen is that it's not a long-term concern," he said. "We just simply have not given him enough time, we followed the doctor's recommendations in terms of the current timeline, but bodies heal differently and we try to predict timelines and sometimes we beat those timelines and sometimes we don't. In this case, we just didn't give him enough time."

Carter started to ramp up his activity a couple of weeks ago and appeared poised to begin a rehab assignment but the back issue flared up again.

"We want to protect him. He's a huge part of our future," Young said. "He needs a little bit more extensive time to rest this and let it heal, at which point the doctors are very confident. He's already on a very good core program and all the exercises and stretches that you would do to protect it."

His back's reaction to extensive swinging has remained the issue.

"Swinging a bat violently with an extreme amount of force does put torque on a sensitive area, and we just haven't given enough time to heal," he said. "We've got to step back and give him the time that he deserves and that he needs and it'll be fine moving forward."

Manager Bruce Bochy sympathized with the rookie's lost season and lamented Carter's chance to develop in the Majors since he burst on the scene for the Rangers during the 2023 postseason.

"He was really excited because it looked like he was on his way, letting it go with the bat," Bochy said. "He's got to be frustrated with it becoming doubtful that he can help us this year. Is it a possibility? Yeah, but with where he's at, I feel for the kid. As important as that, it's a year of development. Just getting out here and playing, getting the reps, facing major league pitching. So that's what's made this difficult for all of us, him and us."

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