The Rangers activated utilityman Ezequiel Duran from the 10-day injured list, with Duran taking Brad Miller’s place on the active roster. Miller is headed to the 10-day IL himself due to a right oblique strain, and his placement is retroactive to May 31.
Miller signed a two-year, $10M deal with the Rangers during the 2021-22 offseason, but the veteran’s stint in Arlington hasn’t gone well. After hitting .212/.270/.320 over 241 plate appearances in 2022, Miller hasn’t fared much better with a .208/.304/.333 slash line in 56 PA this season.
The left-handed hitting Miller had long found success against right-handed pitching, but his numbers against righties have cratered since coming to Texas.
Between these struggles and the fact that so many other Rangers hitters are doing well, Miller’s playing time has been reduced, and he’ll now miss time altogether on the injured list.
The severity of the oblique strain isn’t yet known, and even a Grade 1 (the lowest level) strain could mean at least three or four weeks on the sidelines for the veteran utilityman.
Duran has been on the IL since May 24 due to an oblique issue of his own, but fortunately for Duran, his injury was deemed as discomfort rather than an actual strain. Duran will now return after a relatively short IL stint and look to continue what has been a nice breakout for the 24-year-old in his second MLB season.
Over 144 PA, Duran has hit .301/.340/.515 with seven home runs. He got a lot of work at shortstop when Corey Seager was injured, but Duran now looks to get a lot of playing time as a DH and in left field.
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