The injury bug is something that Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford can’t seem to escape lately.
Langford was removed from a game for the second time in two weeks on Tuesday when he complained of right forearm tightness, per the Rangers via beat reporters.
Langford came out at the end of the fourth inning after two plate appearances, as he walked in the first inning and struck out swinging in the third inning. He has a season batting average of 238 after he bounced back from a slump to start the season. Ezequiel Duran replaced him in left field and hit an RBI double for Texas in the fifth inning.
Langford left a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 10 when he strained his left quad after bending down to hit a home run off of Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow in the opening game of Texas’ 10 game road trip.
Langford missed the remaining two games of the series with the Dodgers and the opening game of Texas’ four-game series with the athletics before he returned to the lineup last Tuesday. He was able to play in every game for the remainder of the road trip.
After entering the month of April with a .143 batting average, his bat has livened up in April. Including his at-bat on Tuesday, Langford is slashing .273/.310/.418 with a home run and three RBI for the month.
Langford was back in the second spot in the order on Tuesday after he dropped to the third spot during the road trip to make room for Corey Seager, who normally bats in the third spot.
The third-year outfielder has dealt with minor injuries throughout his career. Last year he landed on the injured list three times with soft tissue injuries — three separate oblique injuries. He also suffered a hamstring injury in his rookie season that required a 10-day IL stint.
During spring training, Langford said that he adjusted his workout routine to help lessen the opportunity for soft tissue injuries like obliques and hamstrings.
The Rangers have coverage if they must without Langford for a few days. Duran can play both infield and outfield and started in left field during the road trip for Langford. The Rangers can also turn to veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen, who has primarily worked as a right-handed hitting designated hitter against left-handed pitching. Sam Haggerty can also play left field and offers the Rangers their only switch hitter.
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