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Can Evan Carter Finally Sustain Some Big League Success?

Originally posted on Just Baseball | By Cristian Crespo | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 2:34 PM ET

It is no secret that the Texas Rangers have been a disappointment this year, and I am sure they would be the first ones to tell you that.

Heading into games on June 19, they currently sit at 36-38, which is seven games back from the division-leading Houston Astros. While the pitching has more than done its part so far this year, the offense from top to bottom has not shown up.

One of those who started incredibly slowly was Evan Carter. Coming into the 2024 season, expectations for Carter were sky high, even with the small sample that was his career to that point. A big part of that was because of his playoff performance during the Rangers’ 2023 World Series run, where he slashed .300/.417/.500 in 17 games played.

After a slow start during spring training this year, he was told that he would not be breaking camp with the team and would start in Triple-A. Not long after he began at Triple-A, he was quickly sidelined with a quad injury that kept him out of games for about a month.

Evan Carter since being recalled

.293/.369/.534 (19 G)
4 HR
10 RBI
5 SB
4 DRS/ 1 OAA pic.twitter.com/55yFHIadi4
— slightly depressed Rangers fan (@DepressedRanger) June 12, 2025

On May 6, Carter got his chance to prove himself to the big league club. After the Rangers placed Leody Taveras on waivers, Carter was called up to take his spot on the roster even after only slashing .221/.333/.416 with three home runs in Round Rock.

Well, it’s a good thing that they decided to give him the chance because, especially as of late, he has shown flashes back to the 2023 Evan Carter that had many Ranger fans excited for what his future may hold.

Evan Carter = pic.twitter.com/Fjc7gJqjQQ
— Rangers Nation ⚾️ (@rangers__nation) June 15, 2025

In 77 PAs, Carter is hitting .265/.351/.485 with four home runs, five stolen bases, and a wRC+ of 138. All of that has helped him to accumulate 0.9 fWAR up to this point. He is keeping the strikeout rate low at 15.6% while walking more than 9% of the time. He is also sporting a 90.1% in-zone contact rate and an overall contact rate of 74.6%.

If he qualified, he would rank in the 92nd percentile in all of baseball on balls squared up, and in the 77th percentile in barrel rate.

It does seem as if Carter was able to find himself again and make the tangible changes he needed to regain form, even if the Triple-A numbers did not show it.

Evan Carter makes it a 10-run night for the @Rangers offense pic.twitter.com/OLnzGEbcf9
— MLB (@MLB) June 11, 2025

For a team that currently sits at 28th overall in the league with a team OPS of .665, the Rangers are sure happy to get all the help they can get from any player possible. Now, with Evan Carter moving to the leadoff spot, they are hoping he is the spark needed to turn their season around.

This article first appeared on Just Baseball and was syndicated with permission.

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