Watch: Rangers Rookie Josh Smith Scores From First on a Single

The Rangers rookie went on the crack of the bat in the second inning and surprised everyone with his speed

Texas Rangers rookie Josh H. Smith has shown some tremendous hustle in his short time with the Rangers. But how he ran the bases on Wednesday against Philadelphia was something else.

In the second inning, Smith was one of two runners on base when Brad Miller stepped to the plate with two outs. Smith was at first base. Miller hit a single on the second base side of the infield that rolled a little slower than either Philadelphia outfielder expected.

They certainly didn’t expect Smith to try and score from first on what was scored a single.

But he tried. And he scored.

Sometimes, first base is scoring position. pic.twitter.com/nOkAQJgejj

— MLB (@MLB) June 22, 2022

Smith ended up going 0-for-3 as he made his first Major League start as an outfielder in left.

The Rangers activated infielder/outfielder Smith from the 10-day injured list. The Top 10 prospect joined the Rangers in May and played in five games, hitting .417/.588/.500/1.088 before a shoulder injury put him on the injured list on June 4. He missed 15 games and did a short rehab stint at Round Rock last week.

Smith started on Tuesday when he was activated, but he started at third base, where he had played before he was hurt.

Smith is one of three players that are on the Rangers’ 40-man roster that came to the team last July in the trade for Joey Gallo.

Ezequiel Duran joined the Rangers after Smith was hurt, taking his place in the lineup. He sat on Tuesday and started at third on Wednesday. Pitcher Glenn Otto is on the COVID-19 injured list and could return to the rotation this weekend.

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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