One Injury the Texas Rangers Can't Afford Besides Corey Seager

The Texas Rangers lost Corey Seager for a couple of stretches last season due to injury. The same was the case in 2024. In some ways, the Rangers survived.

No one should see that survival as an indictment of Seager’s talent. It just means the Rangers circled the wagons enough to stay afloat. Losing the left-handed slugger for any length of time is a tough hit. No hitter on the team is his equal. Texas just must find someone that can hold the position until he returns.

Losing Seager would hurt. But losing him to injury is not the only injury that would hurt the team. Some injuries are unaffordable in the context of the season. Losing this player would hurt above all others aside from Seager.

Rangers Can’t Lose This Player to Significant Injury

Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford points to a player at a youth baseball clinic — Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford. | Jesse Gann / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Pitchers Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi would be good choices here. Losing one would hurt, but at least the other one would be there to lean on. The Rangers want to keep third baseman Josh Jung healthy. But if gets hurt again, there are options like Ezequiel Duran or Cameron Cauley, the latter of which is in the minor leagues.

But losing Wyatt Langford for half the season might be a blow from which the Rangers cannot recover.

He’s entering his third season and just about everyone in baseball expects him to take a big step forward. Some analysts have predicted he’ll make the All-Star team. Some have predicted he’ll finish in the Top 5 of MVP voting. Last season he was named the Rangers’ MVP for 2025 with a .241 batting average, 22 home runs and 62 RBI. He was limited by three different quad injuries, and the batting average didn’t sit well with him.

“I feel like I'm better than a .240 hitter or whatever I hit last year,” he said.

He’s already a 20/20 player and he’s capable of being a 30/30 player. He will hit high in the order and get plenty of chances to produce runs. He’s also a Gold Glove level left fielder who could be just as good in center field.

What happens if he gets hurt? Do the Rangers have anything close to a replacement? Texas would run Sam Haggerty or Andrew McCutchen out there. McCutchen has serviceable power at this time of his career, but he’s not an everyday outfielder anymore. Haggerty can handle the position defensively but there’s a huge power deficit. Ezequiel Duran can handle the position, too. Down on the farm the Rangers have Alejandro Osuna, Aaron Zavala and Trevor Hauver on stand-by.

Losing Langford for a considerable amount of time creates a hole the Rangers are less equipped to handle than Seager. It’s an injury they cannot afford.