Rangers’ Wyatt Langford suffers possible injury setback

The Texas Rangers initially placed Wyatt Langford on the 10-day IL due to a forearm injury in mid-April. While the club was seemingly expecting him to return to the lineup soon, new reports claim Lanford suffered a setback during his rehab assignment.

During Thursday’s extended spring training game, the 24-year-old outfielder felt discomfort in his forearm after his first at-bat of the contest, according to Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports. The Rangers are evaluating Langford before revealing his status for Friday’s extended spring training game.

“Regarding Wyatt Langford: He felt something in his right forearm, same area, and exited the extended game in Arizona,” reported Wilson. “Rangers are awaiting more info. Possible he plays tonight in Arizona, but also possible he has to restart his swing progression.”

The ideal scenario is that Langford is fine and that he can play in Friday’s rehab assignment. That would likely keep him on pace to return to the Rangers’ lineup. Restarting his swing progression would likely extend his stay on the IL for much longer than the original 10 days.

While Langford continues working his way back from the injury, the Rangers will have to continue relying on Sam Haggerty, Evan Carter, and Brandon Nimmo in the outfield. Considering it is still early in the 2026 campaign, and Texas is just 2.0 games behind first place in the AL West, the club may not push Langford to return sooner than he needs to.

When healthy, the three-year veteran has typically been solid at the plate throughout his early career. The 2026 campaign, however, has been a bit of a slow start for Wyatt Langford, as he owns a .238 batting average and .274 OBP with 19 hits, one home run, and four RBIs. He also leads the AL in triples with two.