Wanted: Consistent Slugger! Texas Rangers Hope Rookie's Bat Helps Ignite Offense

The Texas Rangers recalled Justin Foscue with the hope he'll provide some juice to their scuffling offense.

Jul 20, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers designated hitter Justin Foscue (56) bats against the Baltimore Orioles in the seventh inning at Globe Life Field. / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

ARLINGTON — Justin Foscue’s first Major League hit wasn’t how he drew it up at all.

He got it all right. That first hit came in a pinch-hit situation against the Houston Astros. During the at-bat, he strained his left oblique and went on the injured list the next day.

That was on April 7. On Saturday, he finally returned to the Texas Rangers and made his first start, batting eighth and serving as the designated hitter.

“I’m OK with any role,” Foscue said before Saturday’s game with Baltimore.

He went 1-for-4 with a run scored and two strikeouts. He doubled in the second inning and later scored.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said the plan is for Foscue to play, not sit. He also gives the Rangers some middle infield depth. During Friday’s 9-1 loss to the Orioles, Bochy was hamstrung a bit, saying he couldn’t sit both second baseman Marcus Semien and shortstop Corey Seager to get them a bit of extra rest.

Having Foscue up, who can play all four infield positions, would allow him to do that in blowout situations. To make room for Foscue the Rangers designated outfielder Derek Hill for assignment.

This was the first time Foscue had ever dealt with an oblique injury. He said the initial MRI revealed serious damage and that he knew he had a significant stretch of rehab ahead of him. That, and having to go on the 60-day injured list the day after getting his first hit left him frustrated.

“It was a lot of mixed emotions,” Foscue said. “Getting my first hit after being up for a week was awesome, right? It was just very weird timing to have it happen on the same at-bat that I got the hit on. It was a tough thing to go through. I thought I had earned my way up here and then it gets taken away like that.”

Because it was an oblique injury, Foscue and team trainers focused on strengthening his core before he could go on a rehab assignment. Due to the severity of the injury, that took time. He started rehab games in June and eventually returned to Triple-A Round Rock. In 10 rehab games, he batted .320 with two home runs, three doubles, and five RBI. Notably, he drew 12 walks against two strikeouts.

The Rangers activated him from the 60-day IL on June 26 but assigned him to Round Rock. With the Express he was batting .241 with three home runs and 15 RBI.

The Rangers have always liked his bat. It’s part of the reason they selected him in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Mississippi State, the same school first baseman Nathaniel Lowe went to.

Now, a Rangers offense that continues to sputter hopes it can get a jolt from a top prospect all too eager to prove he belongs.

“I feel really good at the plate right now,” he said. “Hopefully that translates to success up here.”