The Rangers Shouldn't Be Concerned About Wyatt Langford’s Slow Start

Wyatt Langford has been out for the past three games, nursing a small strain in his quad. The Texas Rangers get him back for Tuesday night's game with the Athletics.

The Rangers are treating Langford like it's a rehab game, even though he isn't on the injured list. He's back in the No. 2 spot in the lineup but he'll be the designated hitter as opposed to playing left field. Andrew McCutchen will take over his position, at least for one night.

Langford's numbers haven't been great since the start of the season, but he isn't the only Rangers batter that has struggled coming out of the gate. But there are good reasons why Texas shouldn't be too concerned about his slow start.

Wyatt Langford Should Surge Soon

Wyatt's on the board! #AllForTX pic.twitter.com/ruL6NWLoPE
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) April 11, 2026

The odd thing about the injury is that Langford suffered it on his biggest hit of the season to date — a home run off Los Angeles Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow in Friday's game at Dodger Stadium. Langford had to bend down to hit the pitch, which was low in the zone. As he jogged around the bases it was clear he had done something physically. The Rangers gave him three days to rest hoping they wouldn't have to put him on the injured list.

He enters Tuesday’s game with a slash of .170/.185/.340 with a home run and three RBI. He also has two doubles and two triples. That's one encouraging piece when looking ahead at the rest of the season. Five of Langford’s nine hits have gone for extra bases.

Another way to consider this is to look back at Langford’s start a season ago. He got off to a better start in 2025, as he was batting over .300 through his first six games. But, by April 7, his slash had bottomed out to .216/.318/.459. He played one more game after that before he went on the injured list with an oblique strain. That required a minimum injured list stint, one of three he had a season ago. But when he came back his offense picked up immediately.

In his first nine games after returning from injury, he slashed .361/.425/.639 with two home runs and six RBI, along with four doubles. He’s proven he can come back from a layoff and get his bat going quickly.

While Langford has been sitting out, a couple of Rangers have gotten their bats going, most notably Josh Jung. The right-hander seems to have finally put the adductor strain he suffered in spring training behind him. He drove in two runs with a double in Monday's game.

His bounce back from a slow start is exactly what Texas needs from Langford, who is one of the few Rangers who is batting better at home than on the road. The rest of this trip gives him an opportunity to get going again before Texas returns home next week.

If his past is any indication, Langford’s offense should pick up shortly.

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