Texas Rangers News: Ronald Guzman falls victim to Tampa turf monster

File this under things you don’t love to see: Ronald Guzman was carted off the field with a right knee injury during the Texas Rangers’ series opener with the Rays in Tampa.

Any time the cart is required to escort a injured player off the field, that’s an ominous sign.

Guzman, who was making his first ever regular season start in left field after playing the position some during spring training, injured his knee while attempting to make a catch in the presence of converging teammates from the infield.

Ronald Guzman suffered a bad knee injury during the Texas Rangers-Tampa Bay Rays series opener.

You can clearly observe “Condor” coming up gimpy following the play.

According to the Texas Rangers’ official communications office, Guzman’s injury is being diagnosed as a right knee issue.

Why the 26-year-old even received a start in left field for Monday’s contest was questionable from the outset.

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Tropicana Field’s turf is notoriously difficult on outfielders, even for regulars out there. So one could only imagine the heightened risk for injury that would come with placing Guzman, already inexperienced in left field as it is, out there.

Surely enough, what we feared is exactly what occurred.

It was a curious decision by manager Chris Woodward, to say the least. We’re all for trying to spread the wealth and diversify the at-bats, but Woodward should have known better than to try to fit a square peg in a circular hole, especially given the turf conditions in Tampa.

As for the Condor, this injury represents a brutal blow to an underdog and beloved player who fought so hard during spring training and endured his share of adversity just to secure an Opening Day roster spot.

Ronald Guzman had been working so hard to be a contributor on the Texas Rangers. His injury is a devastating blow.

While the severity of the injury is unknown, it didn’t look good out there and it was sustained in his knee, which is never a promising sign.

Who knows what the future holds for Guzman in a Texas Rangers uniform, since he’ll now have to focus on rehab instead of continuing to make his case as a roster fixture.

With the earlier news that reliever Jonathan Hernandez will need Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL, the Guzman injury only compounds the Rangers’ injury woes.

At least OF Willie Calhoun, LHP Joely Rodriguez, DH Khris Davis and prospect Josh Jung are on the mend. And best wishes for a speedy recovery are in order for the Condor.