Texas Rangers First Baseman Latest Slugger Dealing with Injury

The Texas Rangers will await tests on first baseman Jake Burger after he left Friday’s game due to left side tightness.

Burger was preparing to swing at a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park when he lunged to swing at a low pitch. He missed the ball and left with a strikeout. But he also grabbed his left side after the swing as he walked away from the batter’s box.

He left the game after the at-bat. Ezequiel Duran took over for him at first base. The Rangers (37-39) won the game, 6-2.

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After the game, MLB.com reported that Burger would undergo scans on Saturday morning to determine what he was dealing with. Texas plays the second game of its series with Pittsburg at 3:05 p.m. central.

His MLB.com page noted that was he suffered a left intercostal muscle strain last season with the Miami Marlins, and he missed three weeks. In 2023, with the Chicago White Sox, he suffered a strained left oblique, but he missed less than two weeks.

Burger left the game with a slash of .220/.253/.403 with 10 home runs and 29 RBI. But earlier this season he was struggling in his first season with Texas. He was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on May 2 to work on his swing and returned on May 12.

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Before he was optioned, he was slashing .190/.231/.330 with a .561 OPS with three home runs and 12 RBI.

In the 34 games since he returned, Burger has slashed .242/.270/.462 with a .732 OPS, along with seven home runs and 17 RBI. He’s done time about first base and designated hitter, the latter to help with the injury to Joc Pederson.

If Burger is unable to play on Saturday, the Rangers will likely start either Josh Smith or Duran, both of which have started games at first base. Texas’ main option at Round Rock is Blaine Crim, who had just one hit in two call-ups with the Rangers this season.

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