What Adrian Rodriguez’s Injury Means For Texas Baseball’s Lineup and SEC push

No. 2 Texas Baseball proved once again this weekend why it’s among the best in the nation. After a sweep of No. 8 Oklahoma, the Longhorns improved to 23-4 overall and 7-2 in SEC play.

But Monday brought some less-than-encouraging news.

Texas announced that shortstop Adrian Rodriguez is week-to-week with a lingering hand injury, forcing the Longhorns to adjust entering a critical stretch of conference play. He is expected to miss two to three weeks.

Here’s what it means moving forward.

How Rodriguez’s injury changes things

Texas Longhorns' Adrian Rodriguez swings at the ball. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Rodriguez has started every game at shortstop this season, but has been visibly playing through pain after undergoing a procedure on the same hand in the offseason.

Even so, Rodriguez has remained productive. He’s hitting .271 with a .769 OPS, has drawn 19 walks to just 11 strikeouts and leads the team with 10 doubles. But the power hasn’t been there — he has yet to hit a home run — and his production has dipped as the season has progressed.

Now, Texas will be without one of its most disciplined hitters during a stretch that includes conference series against South Carolina and Texas A&M.

The timing is less than ideal, to put it lightly.

SEC play has already exposed how thin the margin for error is, particularly for a Texas lineup that has struggled at times to produce late in games. Rodriguez’s absence removes a disciplined bat that rarely gives away ABs. It’s also quite a blow for Texas’ defense, as Rodriguez has been excellent at the shortstop position.

It also forces a defensive reshuffling.

In Rodriguez's absence, the most likely move is shifting Temo Becerra to shortstop, a position he played extensively during his time at Stanford. It’s a relatively seamless transition, but it creates a ripple effect across the infield.

With Becerra moving over, Texas must now fill third base — and possibly adjust first.

One option is to slide Casey Borba back to third base, where he played last season, and insert Wichita State transfer Josh Livingston at first. Another is keeping Borba at first and relying on Livingston or another depth piece at third.

What does it mean for the DH spot?

Texas Longhorns designated hitter Josh Livingston records a hit against the USC Upstate Spartans. | University of Texas Athletic

There’s also the question of the designated hitter spot if Livingston enters the everyday lineup.

Ashton Larson and Maddox Monsour are the most obvious candidates. Larson has shown flashes, including a walk-off single against OU on Friday, but has been inconsistent to say the least. Monsour, a freshman, has started to come on, including a strong showing in the Auburn series in which he went 3-4 at the plate with 2 RBIs.

Both Larson and Maddox should hold up the 9-spot well enough while Livigston holds down the fort at wherever they decide to put him. As a veteran, Larson will likely get more playing time, but Monsour could certainly become more of a factor, especially against lefties.

Whatever happens, Texas will once again have to adapt to another injury.

So far, they’ve done so with relative ease after losing Jonah Williams earlier this season (thanks in large part to Jayden Duplantier’s emergence). This will, of course, be another major test.

But if Rodriguez returns healthy later this season, Texas could regain a version of its shortstop that more closely resembles the hitter from last year. And if that’s the case, an already dangerous lineup could reach a whole other level.