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As he nears return to field, Texas Rangers’ Evan Carter reflects on rocky rookie year

Carter, who was the preseason favorite to win the AL Rookie of the Year award, hasn’t played in a professional game since May 26.

ARLINGTON — He was favored to win the American League Rookie of the Year award before this season began.

He’s just thrilled to shag fly balls and take batting practice in a big league stadium now.

Evan Carter’s first full major league season has barely been one. He hasn’t played in a professional game since May 26 and has missed nearly half (46 of 100) of the Texas Rangers’ schedule due to a stress reaction in his back. He spent the bulk of June and the first half of July at the club’s facility in Arizona on a rehab trek and didn’t return to the Globe Life Field clubhouse until Friday.

Texas Rangers left fielder Evan Carter (32) fouls a ball off during the fourth inning...
Texas Rangers left fielder Evan Carter (32) fouls a ball off during the fourth inning against the Houston Astros, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Arlington.(Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer)

A shot at year-end hardware is likely out of the question. A chance to return to the major leagues is all he wants now.

“This is what I love to do, this is what I get paid to do,” Carter said. “Any time that something throw you off track and you can’t do that, that sucks. I’m not the first person to ever get hurt, but I know everybody else would say that it sucks. I want to be out there playing regardless, hopefully we’re close to that.”

Carter took overhand batting practice on Sunday for the first time since he was placed on the injured list and is expected to take batting practice at Globe Life Field before Tuesday’s game vs. the Chicago White Sox. It’s a significant step for the 21-year-old, who had swung a bat and ran in Arizona before the organization backed off of his progression because “it wasn’t really where we wanted it to be.”

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Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said that Carter won’t travel with the team to Toronto on Friday, but that he’s “getting pretty close” to a rehab assignment.

“I think it might’ve been the first day of overhand [batting practice],” Carter said of the shutdown in Arizona. “I mean, my swing volume that I’ve taken [in Arlington], I didn’t even get close to that. Different approach this time, and I think it’s going better, for sure, the second time.”

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The former second-round pick experienced “the exact same” back injury three seasons ago in the minor leagues. It helped him identify the issue when it arose again in May, and instead of opting to fight through the issue, he recognized the need to pause and heal.

“Instead of being gung-ho, fighting through it as 18-year-old Low-A Evan, versus 21-year-old facing All-Star pitchers in the big leagues Evan, you can’t really fight through it quite as long,” said Carter, who slashed .132/.193/.189 with 19 strikeouts in May. “You kind of get exposed very quickly whenever you’re not up to par with how you should feel and how you should play.

“I wasn’t doing myself or the team any good by trying to play through it, so we backed off and it definitely wasn’t near as progressed of an injury.”

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