Why Rangers fans shouldn't feel hopeless about Evan Carter's Opening Day demotion

A tough moment on Tuesday for the Rangers 22-year-old outfielder Evan Carter was told he would not break camp with the big league camp, instead starting the 2025 season in the minor leagues.

President of Baseball Operations Chris Young shared the news with reporters before the team's final exhibition game against Kansas City in Arlington. Young noted that Carter was still not fully in the swing of things after returning from his back injury and it will do his development well to get a feel for his swing in Round Rock.

“We want to get the best version of Evan,” Young told reporters Tuesday. “He's not swinging it at the level we know he's capable. We think he's going to be a big part of our team, and we need him to be the best version of himself to help us win. We want the best version of Evan, and if we get that, he's going to help us win a lot of games.”

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Why fans should be encouraged, not discouraged on Carter's demotion

Based off what fans saw from Carter before he hit the IL last season and the lack of production in Arizona this spring, the news doesn't come off as a shock. However, it does cause a bit of concern for fans expecting Carter to be the next best thing after his 2023 postseason heroics.

While that is a fair reaction, it's a bit unfair of an attitude to have for a 22-year-old with less than 100 career MLB games under his belt. Which is why fans shouldn't feel discouraged, rather optimistic and encouraged about his demotion and journey to get back on track.

It is never a positive thing to see a player struggle but it was obvious this spring that Carter didn't have what it took the be successful as the big league level. For the player, a lot goes through their head when they aren't productive as far as swing mechanics, confidence, loss of job, etc. The Rangers are not shying away from sharing that Carter is not successful right now and they want to give him the opportunity to do so in a less pressure filled environment in Round Rock.

The move also didn't come as a shock to Carter either. While he'd love to be out there at the big league level day after day, his mind immediately goes to task at hand which is winning ballgames. In his current level of play, he can't help the team do that.

“At the end of the day, I've just got to prove that I can help the team win,” Carter said. “I've got to get back to playing good baseball. I know I can do it. I've proven to myself and everybody else that I can do it, and I did it on the highest stage. I know that it's in there, and I've just got to get right back to feeling confident. I think that this is going to be the best opportunity for me to do that.”

I think a lot of fans forget that Carter was drafted out of high school in 2020, his senior year in high school was canceled three games in due to the pandemic and he only spent two full seasons in the majors before his MLB Debut in September 2023. When he did debut he was hitting like a 10-year vet and it made fans think he was indestructible and that's never really the case in baseball.

While starting the season in Round Rock isn't an ideal progression for Carter, I believe he will be better off for it. If not to get his swing and timing back but solely to make up for lost time all last season. The good news is when that does happen, not only will Texas get a good all-around hitter but one heck of a defensive outfielder.