Texas Rangers Shuffle Lineup Before Pivotal Mets Matchup

ARLINGTON, Texas — Evan Carter and Nicky Lopez are back in the Texas Rangers’ lineup Wednesday night against the New York Mets. Both sat out Tuesday’s 6-3 loss at Globe Life Field. Carter is in center field and batting ninth, and Lopez is at second base in the seventh spot.

Left-hander Cody Bradford starts for Texas against Mets rookie right-hander Nolan McLean (11-10, 3.18 ERA). First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. CT on Rangers Sports Network. The lineup card the Rangers released Wednesday lists the roof as closed.

Wyatt Langford leads off in left field, followed by shortstop Corey Seager and Josh Jung, who moves from third base to designated hitter. Brandon Nimmo bats fourth in right field after hitting fifth Tuesday. Ezequiel Duran shifts from center field to third base and bats fifth. Jake Burger is at first base in the sixth spot. Lopez follows at second base, and Danny Jansen catches and bats eighth.

On Tuesday, the Mets started left-hander Sean Manaea. Texas started Justin Foscue at second base and Elias Díaz at designated hitter that night. Neither is in Wednesday’s lineup. Carter, Lopez, Seager, and Nimmo all bat left-handed. Seager and Nimmo were the only left-handed hitters Texas started against Manaea.

Cody Bradford Makes Eighth Start Of Comeback Season

Bradford is 0-5 with a 4.19 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 38 2/3 innings this season. He returned Aug. 5 from an internal brace procedure on his left elbow in June 2025, which cost him the entire 2025 season. Wednesday is his eighth start and ninth appearance since that return.

His most recent outing came in relief of an opener on Sept. 17 against the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Field. Bradford worked 4 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out 3. Texas led 3-1 in the eighth inning. Boston then hit a three-run home run off Jacob Latz and won 4-3.

On Sept. 2, Bradford gave up 5 runs and 3 home runs over 4 innings in a 9-2 loss at Globe Life Field. A week later at T-Mobile Park, he went 4 innings and allowed 4 hits, 3 earned runs, and 2 walks with 1 strikeout. The Seattle Mariners won that game 3-2.

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker spoke with reporters before that Sept. 9 start in Seattle, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reported. Schumaker said Bradford has run into setbacks on top of the surgery itself.

“He’s coming off surgery, and it’s been almost two years, so he’s going to have peaks and valleys,” Schumaker said. “It’s not easy coming off Tommy John and then having setbacks. So every now and then he’ll have some tough starts, and that’s OK. We’re excited to have him, and he’s part of our future. There’s no doubt about it.”

Bradford took his fourth straight losing decision that afternoon, a career high. His last major league win came Sept. 18, 2024, when he held the Toronto Blue Jays scoreless over 7 innings in a 2-0 win at Globe Life Field. Texas won his Aug. 5 return 6-0 and has lost each of his seven appearances since.

Texas Rangers, Houston Astros Tied In AL West With Five Games Left

Texas enters Wednesday at 78-79, tied with the Houston Astros for first place in the American League West. Houston won the season series 9-4 and holds the tiebreaker. The Rangers need a better record than the Astros at the end of the regular season to win the division. Houston closes its series in Seattle on Wednesday and then plays four games in Sacramento.

In Tuesday’s loss, the Mets scored 3 runs off Nathan Eovaldi (11-10) in the sixth inning to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead. MacKenzie Gore worked 5 innings and allowed 4 hits, 1 earned run, and 1 walk with 2 strikeouts. Manaea (6-7) went 6 innings and allowed 3 hits, 2 earned runs, and 2 walks with 9 strikeouts.

Nimmo had 2 hits Tuesday, including a leadoff single in a two-run fourth inning. It was his first game against the Mets. They drafted him 13th overall in 2011 and traded him to Texas last November for Marcus Semien. The Rangers played a tribute video for Semien after the first inning, and he went 0-for-5.

New York is 72-85 and was eliminated from playoff contention Sept. 14. The Rangers and Mets finish the series Thursday at 1:35 p.m. CT, the last regular-season home game for Texas. The Rangers then play three games at the Minnesota Twins from Friday through Sunday.