A Ronald Guzman IL stint likely concludes his Texas Rangers career

With Ronald Guzman suffering a significant looking knee injury yesterday, his Texas Rangers career could be coming to an end relatively soon.

The Texas Rangers continue to see players drop like flies to the injured list early this season as first baseman Ronald Guzman suffered an apparent knee injury charging a popup in his first appearance in left field.

While most writers around the team were skeptical of allowing Guzman to get his first regular season action on the grass in Tampa Bay, manager Chris Woodward ran him out there anyway.

We see now that Guzman’s inexperience out there proved costly, both for him and the Texas Rangers.

With recent reports out saying that Ronald Guzman has suffered a torn meniscus, a season return is in question, while also raising concerns that he may not be a Texas Ranger much longer either.

With the emergence of Nate Lowe at first and limited DH at-bats available with the return Willie Calhoun and Khris Davis, Guzman is undoubtedly the odd-man out.

This is a storyline that isn’t unfamiliar to Guzy, the Rangers or fans, but when it becomes more apparent that his time in Texas could be coming to a close, it gets a lot tougher.

Unlike the Elvis Andrus trade, Ronald Guzman’s tenure closing in Arlington has been built up over last season and into this season.

Just four days after Opening Day 2020, the Condor was sent to the alternate site, only to see time again at the backend of August and early September.

This offseason, the Texas Rangers lit a fire under their incumbent first baseman by acquiring Nate Lowe from the Rays.

Ronald Guzman was looking to make his mark on the Texas Rangers. Now, he may never get his chance with them.

Arguably the competition of note this spring, Lowe beat out Guzman for the first base job and hasn’t looked back, even after Guzman put up a Dominican Winter League MVP and better spring stats.

With that being said, Ronald Guzman was forced into an already crowded outfield and now a part-time role on a left-handed heavy team.

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The issue with Guzman’s knee injury is that any IL stint will allow another player to come up and prove himself, namely Adolis Garcia, Andy Ibáñez or Willie Calhoun, who is slated to be activated as early as this weekend against Baltimore.

Willie Calhoun is the likeliest candidate to fill Guzman’s roster spot, assuming he hits the IL, and would presumably take over the full-time DH role. Not to mention that Khris Davis has been announced as roughly two weeks away from being activated.

With a new first baseman in town, limited DH at-bats and an already crowded outfield, it makes it that much harder to find a reason to bring Ronald Guzman back into the fold whenever he does get healthy.

Evan Grant said it the best: Ronald Guzman has revamped his swing and took his game to the next level over the offseason, looking to be the starter, but a fluky, non-contact injury is what takes him out of the Rangers’ lineup.

The Condor hasn’t known any other organization other than the Rangers. He signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2011 for $3.5 million and ranked among the Texas Rangers’ best prospects for four consecutive seasons.

If Guzman’s IL stint does in fact lead to an Arlington departure, whoever acquires his services will get a good one. Condor’s presence and personality has been felt throughout the Texas Rangers’ clubhouse, as well as his defensive prowess and power potential.

Ronald Guzman is a career .227 hitter with 167 hits and 31 home runs over his four year big league career, adding his exceptional defense and Winter League MVP to that resume.

If the Texas Rangers eventually decide to part ways with Ronald Guzman, it won’t be easy. His smile and loveable personality have been a staple in the Rangers’ locker room for almost four seasons, and has quickly become a fan favorite among the Texas faithful.

We won’t know for sure what direction the Rangers will go until he gets re-evaluated in the next few days, but the outcome doesn’t look great for the Condor physically or for his chances to remain a Texas Ranger long term.