Texas Rangers All-Star Outfielder Scratched From Start, Set to Get MRI on Oblique

The Texas Rangers have some injury news.

Sep 25, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Texas Rangers right fielder Adolis Garcia (53) rounds the bases on a two-run home run against the Oakland Athletics during the third inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers just received some injury news that impacts their team in a big way.

Per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, Adolis Garcia was scratched from his start today, and he will undergo an MRI on his oblique.

This is not the first time Garcia has had an oblique injury. The All-Star outfielder suffered an injury to the same oblique in the 2023 playoffs that forced him to miss the World Series run.

In spring training thus far, the 32-year-old is batting .316 with one home run, seven RBI and two runs scored through eight games played. He made some changes this offseason with his swing, and it seems to be paying off.

Oblique injuries are very tough to gauge. Some take just a few weeks to heal while others are more serious and will not resolve for months. Either way, Garcia will be shutting it down for a little bit as he awaits imaging to give him a real diagnosis.

“He’s going to miss a little bit of time, we’re hoping not much,” Rangers' manager Bruce Bochy told reporters.

The MRI will tell the Rangers more, but is clear that there is some concern with the amount of time the right-handed hitter will miss.

In his absence, Texas has a few outfielders they can turn to. The most likely being Leodys Taveras.

Taveras is just 2-for-20 this spring, but both of those hits are long balls. These are the same struggles he faced last season. The 26-year-old hit .229 with a .641 OPS, 12 home runs and 23 stolen bases through 151 games played. He is more of a platoon player, but the Rangers will need him to take on a bigger role if Garcia is out long-term.

The other player Texas can turn to is Ezequiel Duran. He broke out in 2023, but regressed in 2024. The right-handed hitter finished with an OPS of .609 and just 14 extra base hits in 285 plate appearances last season. He plays all over the diamond, so there is value in his versatility.

Garcia is the second starting outfielder to go down with the same injury. Wyatt Langford is making his way back, but he is still not quite ready for game action. With both Garcia and Langford out, that leaves just Evan Carter as the lone starting outfielder healthy.

Opening day is just over three weeks away, and Texas is hoping the MRI yields good results for their power-hitting outfielder.

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