Why Rangers should seriously consider calling up Sebastian Walcott as playoff race heats up

Shortstop Sebastian Walcott, the Texas Rangers' consensus No. 1 overall prospect, is only 20 years old and missed a large chunk of the season after undergoing a right elbow UCL internal brace procedure in February. Texas reinstated Walcott from the minor-league injured list last week after he completed a rehab assignment. He is currently playing at Double-A Frisco and has yet to return to the field, serving as the RoughRiders' primary designated hitter for now.

Still, the Rangers should seriously consider promoting Walcott to the majors. The infielder has slashed .267/.323/.477 over 23 games with Frisco this season.

With a 65-66 record, Texas owns the third American League wild card spot and is tied with the Houston Astros for first place in the AL West, though the Astros own the tie-breaker.

However, the Rangers' lead in the Wild Card standings is anything but safe. They're tied with the Cleveland Guardians for that final spot. The Toronto Blue Jays are just 1.5 games back, while the Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles are just two games off the pace, and the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers are lurking as well.

Therefore, the Rangers need to consider calling up Walcott, as Texas could use all the help it can get. It would be much more complicated to work Walcott into the lineup regularly if he can only DH, but luckily, general manager Ross Fenstermaker said last week he is “optimistic [Walcott] will play a position in the field before the end of the season,” according to The Dallas Morning News' Evan Grant.

Walcott has played shortstop and third base in the minors. Obviously, Corey Seager has shortstop locked down and Josh Jung will be the primary third baseman when he is reinstated from the IL. But with both Seager and Jung dealing with injuries this year, Walcott could play some shortstop and third base for Texas to give the aforementioned stars rest. Walcott could also get some starts at DH for Texas.

Promoting Sebastian Walcott to the majors could increase the Rangers' chances of making a deep postseason run

Having Walcott in the lineup could force Joc Pederson to play more first base vs. righties. Overall, that would improve the Rangers' lineup, as struggling first baseman Jake Burger would move to a platoon role. Burger has a poor .670 OPS against righties this season, but an outstanding .831 OPS vs. southpaws.

Unfortunately, there's one major reason the Rangers may not call up Walcott: the looming lockout. If MLB and the Players Association are unable to come up with an agreement on a new CBA in time for the start of the 2027 season, players on the 40-man roster won't be able to play major- or minor-league baseball. But players not on the 40-man roster will presumably be eligible to play in the minors. Currently, Walcott is not on the Rangers' 40-man roster.

That said, the Rangers should still promote Walcott to the majors. Texas, which ranks 28th in runs and 23rd in OPS, could use an offensive boost. Walcott, MLB Pipeline's No. 9 overall prospect, could be exactly what the Rangers' offense needs.

President of baseball operations Chris Young proved he's willing to be bold with prospects when he promoted a then-21-year-old outfielder Evan Carter to the big leagues in Sept. 2023. Carter ended up being a huge reason the Rangers won the World Series, slashing .306/.413/.645 with five home runs, four doubles, a triple, and 12 RBI across 23 games in September before hitting .300/.417/.500 with one home run, a double, and six RBI over 72 plate appearances in the postseason. Maybe Walcott will be this year's version of 2023 Evan Carter?

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