Injured Rangers Infielder Starts Raking Right Away at Rehab Assignment

A rainout didn’t slow down the rehab of one of the Texas Rangers’ injured positions players that much.

Texas Rangers second baseman Josh Smith. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers wanted Josh Smith to start his injury rehab assignment on Saturday. Torrential rain in Frisco had other ideas.

After the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders had their Saturday game with Springfield rained out, they rescheduled for a doubleheader on Sunday. That allowed Smith to begin his rehab assignment in the first game of a two-game doubleheader with games of seven innings each.

The Rangers decided to have Smith play in just the first game. But, because the game was only seven innings, he played all seven as opposed to leaving the game early as most veterans do during the first game of a rehab assignment. Smith also played in the field at second base as opposed to being the designated hitter.

Josh Smith’s Rehab Game and What’s Next?

Josh Smith shredded this ball on the second pitch of the game! 💥

B1 | FRI 1, SPR 1 pic.twitter.com/IuRsqmjERz

— Frisco RoughRiders (@RidersBaseball) June 7, 2026

Smith had a great start to his rehab game, as he hit a home run in his first at-bat, slamming a pitch to right field. He finished 2-for-3 with two RBI, a walk and a strikeout.

He drove in another run on a bloop single to left field. Smith played in the second game briefly, going 0-for-1 as he drew a walk and scored a run.

Smith had been on the injured list for a month. It started with a right glute injury he suffered on May 3 in Detroit. As he was beginning his path back to the Majors he developed a wrist issue. But the big setback was a bout with viral meningitis, which landed him in the hospital for several days. He returned to the Rangers’ clubhouse in late May but needed another week to get his feet under him before he left for the rehab assignment.

The last setback is part of the reason why Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said on Saturday that they’re not necessarily putting a timetable on when Smith does what. He’s never dealt with viral meningitis nor has the team’s medical staff. So, they’re watching Smith more closely.

“I don’t know what it looks like or how long it’s going to take,” Schumaker said on Saturday. “He says he feels really good. He’s also coming off the wrist injury so that set him back a little bit.”

Schumaker did say that he believes Smith will need more time than Wyatt Langford did to rehab from his strained right forearm. Langford played in four games over the course of several days before he re-joined the team on Friday.

Texas will also likely keep Smith close to home while the Rangers are on the road at Kansas City and Boston in a six-game trip that starts on Tuesday. The Rangers’ minor league affiliates are dark on Monday. Frisco is on the road next week, so Smith’s next stop is likely Triple-A Round Rock, which hosts El Paso starting on Tuesday.