3 Rangers Who Won't Survive the Season in Texas
Which Rangers won't be with team when the regular season's second half begins?
By Jack Gurley
With Opening Day less than a week away, the Texas Rangers are currently working on finalizing their 25-man roster and determining who will be starting the season in Arlington or summoned back to the minors to begin the season.
Even if a player is given a roster spot to start the season, there is no guarantee that they will remain with the club the entire season. Several players are in jeopardy of not making it through the whole season or the first half of the regular season.
1. Josh Smith
One player, in particular, who may not make it through the season is utility man Josh Smith. This will be Smith's third season with the Rangers, and he has been used primarily as an infielder and base runner throughout his past two seasons.
Even though Smith is an exceptional fielder and baserunner, he is notorious for his poor hitting ability. He is carrying a .191 career batting average and a .306 on-base percentage. These numbers are tremendously low.
However, due to the Rangers' extraordinarily high offensive production, they have been able to carry Smith's poor offensive performance over the past couple of seasons.
This year could be different for Smith due to the emergence of prospect Justin Foscue. Foscue is looking to make his major league debut this season, which could jeopardize Smith's position with the team.
Foscue does not have the baserunning ability that Smith has. But he does have power from the plate, which the Rangers are looking to replace after losing Mitch Garver this offseason. Foscue's offensive ability could make him a better fit to stay on the roster through the long haul of the season.
Smith will have a few weeks at the start of the season to try to perform well enough to remain on the roster. Nate Lowe is expected to miss the first few weeks of the season and Foscue is expected to take Lowes's spot for the time being. At the same time, it gives both men roster spots to start the season.
Once Lowe does return, however, the Rangers' front office could be given the tough task of determining which player can make the most impact on the team going forward.
Nonetheless, Josh Smith's time with the Rangers could be winding down, depending on how the first few weeks of the 2024 season play out.