It's more apparent now than ever that the Texas Rangers look to be a serious contender for postseason play in the American League. The Rangers, entering play on Thursday, Sept. 11, are 2.5 games out of first place in the AL West Division and 1.5 games out of an AL Wild Card spot.
They have been playing stellar baseball lately, putting up solid at-bats and pitching outings against division-leading teams like the Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers.
Getting contributions from young players who don't have a lot of major-league experience has proven beneficial for Texas. But this has happened due to a steep price in the number of injuries that Rangers have had to deal with right now.
Take a look at this list of players currently out with injuries:
- SS Corey Seager
- 2B Marcus Semien
- OF Adolis García
- OF Evan Carter
- SP Nathan Eovaldi
- SP Tyler Mahle
- SP Cody Bradford
- RP Danny Coulombe
That's quite a list. It's also important to remember that the Rangers are not the only team in the AL to deal with the injury bug. The Astros have had a lo ng list of injuries to their team and have shown signs of faltering late this season.
Look at the names on the Injured List for the AL West second-place Seattle Mariners: INF Ryan Bliss, SP Logan Evans, RP Trent Thornton, and RP Gregory Santos. Injuries have been a big storyline across both the AL and National League right now.
Still, here are the Rangers, a team looking to get back into the postseason and make another run for a World Series title.
Can they get it together fully and push past the Mariners? It's going to take a major gut check to do so. Also, the Mariners will have to simply collapse for it to happen. A division title may be out of reach but the AL Wild Card spot is a definite reality.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy deserves a lot of credit for making things still click. Bochy has a deep reservoir of postseason experience, not only with the Rangers but, of course, with the San Francisco Giants. The former MLB catcher has put his wisdom to good use.
It's going to be a footrace to the finish. The Rangers, though, just might be a team worth watching if these players on the IL can come back soon. García's power hitting and Eovaldi's stellar pitching are sorely missed.
There are less than 20 games left in the 2025 MLB season. The Rangers have time to put it together and make some real noise in the AL playoff race.