Texas Rangers top prospect Sebastian Walcott is about to take a meaningful step in his comeback.
Rangers general manager Ross Fenstermaker told reporters, including Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, that the organization plans to have Walcott play five innings at shortstop in Sunday’s regular-season finale for Double-A Frisco. The RoughRiders are set to begin the Texas League playoffs next week, but Sunday will serve as an important checkpoint for Walcott, the No. 9 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline.
The move marks the start of the final stage in Walcott’s recovery from surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow in February. He had an internal brace procedure and has already moved through injury rehab, a rehab assignment and a return to game action with Frisco, though only as a designated hitter.
Walcott still needed more arm strength before he could get back to shortstop, even though his bat was ready long ago. He has been able to hit every day while his throwing has lagged behind, a familiar pattern for players coming back from the same injury. Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper and Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani followed similar paths.
That throwing buildup has taken time. Walcott has been back with Frisco for nearly two months, using that stretch to keep working on his arm strength behind the scenes.
Getting him back into the field also opens the door to winter ball. Walcott played in the Arizona Fall League last year before being shut down after a couple of games because of arm fatigue.
The Rangers could send him back there again. Grant also reported that the Dominican Winter League is another possibility, and Rangers bench coach Luis Urueta will manage Aguillas in the Dominican Republic, which would give Texas a direct line on Walcott’s progress.
At the plate, Walcott has kept forcing the issue. Entering Thursday’s action, he was hitting .329/.406/.630 with 10 home runs and 21 RBI. He’s also been on a tear lately, with five home runs in his last seven games and a .315/.400/.606 line for Double-A Frisco.
Even with that production, a big-league promotion hasn’t been the plan. Walcott is not on the 40-man roster, and any labor uncertainty between Major League Baseball and the Players’ Association would not affect him. If there is a work stoppage after the collective bargaining agreement ends on Dec. 1, minor league players could still report to spring training and play a season because the minor league CBA runs through the end of the 2027 season.
That helps explain why the Rangers have stayed patient. Their preference is for Walcott to start next season at Triple-A Round Rock, even after the kind of run that usually starts turning heads fast.
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