Rangers Boss Charts Path Forward Without Marcus Semien at Second Base

Bochy has already put together a rotation since Semien left the lineup. Duran started Friday’s game, followed by Freeman on Saturday and then Duran on Sunday. Smith may play less at the position to start with as his role as a super-utility player has him in the outfield more often, with the injury to Evan Carter. But Smith was set to lead off and play second in Monday’s game.

In the first three games without Semien, Duran and Freeman combined to bat 4-for-11 with a double, home run and two RBI. Freeman had the home run, the first of his MLB career. Duran had the double.

This has the potential to be a significant boon to Duran, who has struggled for playing time this season, but his bat has heated up in August. For the month he is slashing .378/.404/.467 with four doubles and six RBI. When he replaced Seager in May of 2023 — which was the most extensive everyday playing time of his career — he slashed .301/.346/.575 with five home runs and 11 RBI. The Rangers went 13-6 with him in the lineup.

Since then, Smith has overtaken Duran as a more consistent bat, as evidenced by last year’s utility player Silver Slugger award. Smith has slashed .256/.332/.380 with nine home runs and 32 RBI entering Monday’s game and has taken Semien’s traditional role as the leadoff hitter. The Rangers like Freeman’s energy and he’ll probably be more dependent on matchups than Duran and Smith.

Marcus Semien’s Injury

Semien has a fracture of the third metatarsal in his foot and a lisfranc sprain that, at minimum, will require four to six weeks to heal. He suffered the injury on Thursday in Kansas City when he fouled a ball off his foot. He spent the weekend in a walking boot. He met with a foot specialist on Sunday, who provided the final diagnosis and prognosis. There is a chance he could return by the end of the season.

The last time Semien was on the injured list was in 2017, when he missed nearly three months with a right wrist contusion while with the Athletics. Since then, he’s been one of baseball’s most durable players. The 34-year-old has played in at least 159 in each of the last four seasons, dating back to 2021 with the Toronto Blue Jays. With the Rangers he’s played in 161 games in 2022, 162 games in 2023 and 159 games in 2024.

If he’s done for the season, he would have his worst year offensively with the Rangers. He is slashing .230/.305/.364 with 15 home runs and 64 RBI. He has three more years left on a seven-year, $175 million deal he signed before the 2022 season.