The Texas Rangers have announced that first baseman Nathaniel Lowe is suffering from an oblique strain. He is expected to miss the remainder of Spring Training, and his appearance on the Opening Day roster is tenuous at best. Lowe was quoted saying “I don’t love it, it’s something that’s new for me. We’ll take it in stride.” It’s important to note that Nathaniel Lowe has never been on the injured list in his entire professional baseball career. Now that Lowe is most likely out for Opening Day, who will fill his shoes? Several fantastic options have presented themselves during Spring Training this year.
By the Numbers
Justin Foscue
Justin Foscue is the Rangers fifth ranked prospect by ITD. This spring, Foscue has 26 at-bats across ten games. He is hitting a .308/.357/.423 with eight hits, two runs, three doubles, one walk, eight strikeouts and an OPS of .780. His defensive fielding percentage at both 1st and 2nd is 1.000. While the other two players have stellar stats as well, he is currently the only one of the three on the 40-man roster as it stands now.
Jared Walsh
Jared Walsh has 20 at-bats across eight games. He is hitting .400/.478/.750 with eight hits, four runs, one double, two home runs, four RBIs, three walks, five strikeouts, and an OPS of 1.228. His defensive fielding percentage at first base is 1.000.
Blaine Crim
Blaine Crim has 22 at-bats across 12 games. He is hitting a .318/.360/.591 with seven hits, three runs, three doubles, two home runs, nine RBIs, ten strikeouts, and an OPS of .951. His defensive fielding at 1st base is 1.000.
A Corey Seager Injury Update
In other news, Corey Seager is progressing rapidly through his injury recovery. Sidelined by a sports hernia, Seager has thus far missed all of Spring Training. While not yet cleared to swing, Jeff Wilson of Rangers. Today said he was fielding ground balls and playing catch on Thursday. It is now possible that Seager will make his return before Opening Day. This is fantastic news for the Rangers superstar infield, especially with the potential loss of Nate Lowe on the Opening Day roster.
Recap
Injuries have plagued the Texas Rangers early this season, with four pitchers (Mahle, Coleman, Scherzer, deGrom) and three infielders (Jung, Seager, Lowe) dealing with various injuries. All players we have been given updates on are progressing through their individual recovery programs either on track or faster than expected. While these superstars continue to heal, the Rangers will look to their stellar farm system for help.
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