Latest Rangers Opening Day roster projection has Wyatt Langford right where he belongs

It seems almost academic at this point, doesn't it? As the Texas Rangers enter their final week in Arizona, all signs point to one of the team's top prospects breaking camp with the big league club.

Wyatt Langford has done everything he possibly can to be on a flight to Arlington when the Rangers leave Surprise after their Cactus League finale this Saturday. Langford, who was the Rangers first-round draft pick just last summer, has hit .381/.449/.786 with five home runs and 16 RBI this spring.

MLB.com's latest Opening Day roster projection foresees no way that Texas leaves Langford in the minor leagues to begin the upcoming season. Langford is the perfect player to act as the Rangers designated hitter in 2024.

Latest Rangers Opening Day roster projection has Wyatt Langford right where he belongs

Langford's case only grew stronger after it was announced that first baseman Nathaniel Lowe would be missing some time due to an oblique injury. Set to begin the season on the IL, Lowe will likely give way to Justin Foscue. The Rangers' need to plug Foscue in at first base opens a vacancy at DH, and that's exactly where Langford fits in.

However, it's not very often that major league teams employ this type of decision-making. You're talking about a player who has just 200 at-bats in the minor leagues. Not at just one level of the minors, but his entire minor league career. Langford was taken No. 4 overall in last year's draft, and played at four different minor league levels last season while hitting .360/.480/.677.

It's also extremely rare to see a prospect like Langford, who plays a premium position, be relegated to being nothing more than a designated hitter. That's not to say that Langford won't see a few starts in the outfield, but Rangers fans should expect to see a starting outfield of Leody Taveras, Evan Carter, and Adolis Garcia on most nights.

But Langford has proven himself quite well this spring, and there's likely very little he'd have left to accomplish if Texas sent the 22-year-old to Triple-A Round Rock to begin the 2024 season. It's not a traditional approach by any stretch of the imagination, but Langford belongs on the Rangers Opening Day roster.

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