Evan Carter’s return to the Rangers’ lineup on Tuesday night ended up mattering in a way nobody could have scripted.
Texas had sat Carter for the previous two games because of left-handed starters. Against a right-hander from the Angels, he was back in center field - and in the middle of one of the night’s strangest defensive plays in Anaheim.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Jose Siri sent a towering drive to left against Rangers left-hander Cody Bradford. Wyatt Langford lost the ball in the air.
Carter didn’t. He took off from center, raced over to back up Langford and tracked the ball down near the warning track in left field.
It was the kind of play that only a great defender even has a chance to make. Carter has taken heat for what he’s done at the plate this season - he entered Tuesday hitting under .200 - but his glove has become impossible to ignore. He’s looking like one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball, and if the bat starts to come around, the Rangers may have something even bigger on their hands in the American League outfield.
Texas also had another rotation decision already lined up for Wednesday, and it wasn’t a surprise. With Nathan Eovaldi landing on the 15-day injured list Monday, the Rangers needed someone to fill the spot. Cal Quantrill is getting that call after moving back to the bullpen when Cody Bradford returned last week.
Quantrill has been useful in a lot of different ways for Texas. He’s helped absorb innings with Jack Leiter out after ankle surgery in June, and even with some rough patches, the overall line has held up well. He’s 4-4 with a 3.56 ERA in 24 games, including seven starts.
He opened the year in Triple-A, got promoted in mid-April to work as a long reliever, and some of his strongest work came in that role. Out of the bullpen, he’s 3-1 with a .378 ERA.
As a starter, he’s 1-3 with a 3.34 ERA. The record doesn’t flatter him much, but the performance has been steadier than the wins and losses suggest.
That kind of versatility is exactly why Texas brought him in. He’s been the sort of swing starter who can cover innings and shift between roles, in the same mold as left-hander Jacob Latz was a year ago.
Quantrill last pitched Saturday, throwing the ninth inning in a win over Baltimore. His most recent start came Aug. 3 against San Francisco, when he took the loss despite allowing four hits and one earned run over six innings.
The Rangers also got encouraging updates on Leiter and Jakob Junis while in Anaheim. Per Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News, Leiter came out of his bullpen session in good shape, which was the final step before a rehab assignment.
Texas has not announced when that assignment will begin, but given normal rest lighter could join an affiliate later this week. Leiter has been out since ankle surgery in June.
Junis also threw a bullpen, according to McFarland, and is scheduled for another on Thursday. President of baseball operations Chris Young told 105.3 The Fan that Junis could return next week from the adductor strain that put him on the injured list last month.
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