Texas Rangers Young Slugger Dealing with Injury Approaching Cubs Finale

The Texas Rangers will be monitoring the status of one of their top young sluggers after a late departure from Tuesday’s game.

Apr 5, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers left fielder Wyatt Langford (36) celebrates with Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy (15) after the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers will be closely monitoring the status of one of their key sluggers heading into Wednesday’s finale against the Chicago Cubs.

Wyatt Langford, the right-handed hitting left-fielder, left Tuesday’s game in the seventh inning with what the Rangers (8-4) called right oblique tightness. It came after Langford’s last plate appearance, which saw him strike out swinging.

He put together a great game before that, as he went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. He blasted his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot, in the third inning that tied the game at 3-3. The Cubs (9-5) eventually won, 10-6.

After the game, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy didn’t have much of an update on Langford’s status for Wednesday’s finale, though he did say that Langford would get a scan on Wednesday.

“He felt something there,” Bochy said during the post-game show on Rangers Sports Network.

Per The Dallas Morning News and MLB.com, Langford said after the game that he felt the tightness was “very minor” and not like the oblique injury he dealt with during spring training.

The Rangers had 12 hits, their first game this season in which they had double-digit hits. So, Langford wasn’t the only Texas slugger with a big game.

Third baseman Josh Jung, who was activated before the game after spending 10 days on the injured list with neck spasms, had a huge game in his return.

Batting seventh in the order, he went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. He was a home run shy of the cycle.

Leody Taveras went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run, while Corey Seager went 2-for-5.

Langford has started every game so far for Texas. In 12 games he’s slashed .244/.333/.561 with four home runs and six RBI.

Losing him for any length of time would be tough, especially since the Rangers just got Jung back from the injured list.

If Texas is without him on Wednesday, it could start Josh Smith in left field. On Tuesday he started at first base with Jung’s return and has played left field previously. The Rangers could also slide Taveras into left field and start Kevin Pillar in center, or vice versa.

He started slowly as a rookie in 2024 but finished slashing .253/.325/.415 with 16 home runs and 74 RBI. He finished seventh in American League rookie of the year voting. He’s started slowly this year two and in his first 10 games slashed .235/.325/.500 with three home runs and five RBI.

He was a polished hitter at Florida when the Rangers selected him No. 4 overall in the 2023 MLB draft and he played just 44 minor league games before he was called up to the Majors.