Rangers get big update on Evan Carter injury as Jack Leiter set to make home debut
Texas seems to have avoided the worst case scenario with Evan Carter's back issue, but they aren't out of the woods yet.
For fans of the Texas Rangers that were hoping a series against the lowly Rockies would help finally get the team going were sorely disappointed. Not only did the Rockies sweep Texas in Colorado, but the series didn't even feel all that competitive as the Rangers' offense scored six runs total across the three-game set at Coors Field. Part of the problem, but certainly not all of it, was the absence of Evan Carter.
Carter had been held out of Texas' lineup the last few games with soreness in his lower back. Given that Carter dealt with a stress fracture in his lower back earlier in his career, the Rangers went the extra cautious route and sent him to see a specialist on Monday for scans and an examination.
Texas fans can stop holding their breath now as Carter himself revealed that his exam showed only some inflammation in his back. He will receive a cortisone injection on Tuesday and could be back in the lineup by this weekend assuming he responds well.
Rangers News: Jack Leiter set to make his home debut on Tuesday
Rangers fans had been anticipating Jack Leiter's arrival in the big leagues from the day that Texas selected him with the second overall pick back in 2021 out of Vanderbilt. Unfortunately, his development took longer than anyone thought it would and fans had to wait until this year for him to finally make the leap.
Leiter's first two starts in the big leagues haven't exactly gone well as he currently sports a 12.91 ERA and has yet to pitch more than four innings in an outing. Hopefully he can give the struggling Rangers more than that on Tuesday as Leiter makes his home debut on Tuesday against the Guardians.
Based on how the offense has been playing lately, Leiter may need to post the best start of his short career for the Rangers to have a chance.