The Texas Rangers’ bid for a repeat World Series title is virtually deflated, as the last drop of air was taken out with the announcement that star shortstop Corey Seager is done for the season because of sports hernia surgery. Per FanGraphs, Texas has a 0.2% chance to make the postseason.
A magical 2023 run gave the franchise its first World Series title. It also provided hope that the Rangers (71-76) could run it back in 2024, but a run never materialized as the franchise fell victim to the injury bug and inconsistent play.
On paper, the idea of a Rangers repeat seemed plausible. The entire core returned, including five All-Star starters from 2023. Rookie sensations Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter — both outfielders — were expected to be full-time big leaguers.Â
From spring training on, though, injuries mounted. The pitching staff was especially hard hit.
Tommy John surgery sidelined right-hander Jacob deGrom for most of the season. On Friday, he is scheduled to make his first big-league start since April 28, 2023.
Right-hander Max Scherzer is slated to pitch Saturday after a shoulder injury put him on the injured list for six weeks. He missed significant time due to offseason back surgery and a thumb injury. Right-hander Jon Gray is on the 60-day injured list.
Entering Friday’s play, the Rangers rank 24th in the MLB in team ERA (4.34) and dropped from 12th in the MLB in 2023 to 21st in 2024 in WHIP (1.28).
Offensively, injuries have sidelined Seager, Langford, Carter and 3B Josh Jung. Consequently, the team’s OPS has dropped from .789 (third in MLB) in 2023 to .685 (24th) in 2024. A power outage has short-circuited an offense that had 233 home runs last season (third in MLB) but only 155 in 2024 (20th in MLB).
There was an inkling of hope that Texas could steal one of the final wild-card spots, but Seager’s injury nullifies the returns of deGrom and Scherzer. It’s time to look to 2025.
The Rangers have several stars under contract and expect Seager, Marcus Semien, deGrom and OF Adolis Garcia back. Langford has emerged as the future face of the franchise this season, and Carter, though sidelined for much of the season with a back injury, is expected to turn into a star as well.