The Texas Rangers are looking to bounce back from a brutal 2024 season. Injuries were a big part of their lost campaign, with the long-term losses of Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and Josh Jung, to name a few. The Rangers are already dealing with another injury in spring training to outfielder Adolis Garcia. Manager Bruce Bochy announced Wednesday that he should be back for Opening Day.
“The Texas Rangers expect right fielder Adolis Garcia can be ready for Opening Day after testing on his sore left oblique revealed a mild strain,” The Associated Press reported. “Manager Bruce Bochy told reporters Wednesday that the two-time All-Star slugger had ‘not quite’ a Grade 1 strain. Garcia was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup for a spring training game after feeling pain. ‘They felt this was between a zero and a one, I guess,’ Bochy said.”
Garcia played 154 games last year but was brutal at the plate. His 94 OPS+ was 33 points less than his career high in 2023 and he only hit 25 homers compared to the previous season’s 39. The Rangers need him healthy and producing in the middle of their lineup to get back to the playoffs. They should keep Garcia on the shelf for as long as possible in spring training to make sure he is ready for Opening Day.
The Rangers need better health in 2025
The biggest injury return for the Rangers this season is Jacob deGrom. In the first two years of his $40 million annual contract, he has pitched only 41 innings. That is nearly $2 million per inning for one of the best pitchers of his generation. But he is healthy so far in spring training and is set to be their ace this season.
deGrom came over when the Rangers were spending big before their 2023 World Series title. Corey Seager and Marcus Semien were the big offensive additions in that spending spree and were both solid last year. Add young pitchers Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker and they have a great core that can win another championship.
The key for the Rangers and every baseball team is staying healthy and peaking at the right time. Last year, neither of those things happened after they hit the lottery in 2023. But this Adolis Garcia injury news is a good start for the club, as it appears their slugger will be ready to go when the season starts later this month. He has one year of team control left after this one, so a big year could mean a big payday for Garcia.
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