Why Rangers Benched Brandon Nimmo for First Time This Season

DETROIT — Texas Rangers Skip Schumaker made the obvious clear — he can’t be without both Wyatt Langford and Brandon Nimmo.

So, he put Nimmo on the bench for Saturday’s game with the Detroit Tigers. It is his first game off this season and comes after leaving each of the last two games with tightness in his right hamstring.

Langford is in Detroit but suffered a setback in his recovery from a strained right forearm in Arizona on Thursday. That clearly played a role. But, there were other factors.

“It wouldn’t be very smart to push him for this game,” Schumaker said. “As much as I want to win this game, I can’t lose him for 10 or 15 days either.”

Next Steps for Brandon Nimmo

Schumaker said that he took the weather into account. For the second straight game, the game time temperature on Saturday will be in the 40s. While there is no rain expected, there was drizzle throughout Friday’s game. With the temperature expected to reach the 60s for Sunday’s finale in Motown, he hopes that the additional time off will allow Nimmo to play without restriction on Sunday.

“The thought is, if I can give him maybe 48 hours, with pulling him last night and then hopefully starting him tomorrow [Sunday], I think that might settle it down, so he doesn’t have to go at 75%. He can go at 100%.”

Nimmo left in the fourth inning of Friday’s game as precaution after he was 2-for-2 with a walk. He singled in his final at-bat. Schumaker said after the game that he noticed Nimmo was shaking his leg while in the batter’s box, which cause him and the trainer to check on him while he was at first base. The Tigers were making a pitching change and the Rangers removed Nimmo at the same time for a pinch-runner, Josh Smith.

With Nimmo out, Evan Carter moved into the leadoff spot and Ezequiel Duran started in right field. Duran took over for Duran in right field on Friday and made an amazing diving catch late in the game that helped Texas win, 5-4.

That was two days after Nimmo left Wednesday’s game against the New York Yankees with right hamstring tightness.

Nimmo is slashing .302/.378/.468 with his 2-for-2 game and he’s had one of the team’s best on-base percentages.

Texas also had Alejandro Osuna in left field for Saturday’s game. The Rangers have Sam Haggerty and Andrew McCutchen off the bench for the game.

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