ARLINGTON -- Evan Carter walked into the Rangers’ clubhouse Saturday sporting a black brace on his right wrist, keeping it in place as the fracture continues to heal.
The 23-year-old was hit on the wrist by a 94.1 mph sinker out of the hand of Daniel Lynch IV during an Aug. 21 loss in Kansas City. He initially stayed in the game to run the bases and play defense, but eventually came out in the following inning when he realized he couldn’t throw without pain.
On Aug. 29, the Rangers placed Carter on the 60-day injured list, officially ending his season.
“It's really frustrating,” Carter said on Saturday, his first time speaking since the injury. “It sucks because I felt like I was having a solid year. I was happy with the way I was playing, and I felt like I was contributing. I wanted to finish out the rest of the year.
“I obviously didn't play hardly at all last year, so I wanted to finish the year out with the team. We're in a big playoff push right now. I'm happy for everybody. But I don't want to be sitting out, you know. I want to play and contribute. Everybody would want that. So, yeah, it sucks. It does.”
Carter has been snakebitten with injuries in his young big league career. He debuted in September 2023 and became a big piece of the Rangers’ World Series-winning team, appearing in every postseason game during the run.
But he played in just 45 games in 2024 due to lingering back issues. He opened then opened this season with Triple-A Round Rock, but has since had two IL stints -- with a quad strain in May and back spasms in August.
So Carter, unfortunately, is no stranger to injuries at this point.
“Obviously, anytime an injury [happens, it] sucks, but I guess it's a little bit different [than last year],” Carter said. “This is the first time I've ever had a broken bone before. Getting hit by a pitch is a little bit different than just a wear-and-tear back injury. I can't really control getting hit by an up-and-in fastball.
“It's really unfortunate, but at the end of the day, I just look at what you can control. This is something that I can't really control, so [you] just [have to] make the most of what you got.”
The injury couldn’t have come at a worse time, either. Carter was slashing .308/.419/.462 in the eight games between his back spasm-induced IL stint and his broken wrist. He was getting more of an extended leash against left-handed pitchers and was mashing righties just as he normally does.
When looking at it from the outside, it’s easy to see how this could impact his continued development as a big leaguer. After all, he’s only played in 402 professional games combined after being selected in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft.
But Carter isn’t overly concerned about the timing. An injury is an injury, no matter when it happens.
“I think at any point in your career, time is valuable, you know?” he said. “I'm not doing any good sitting here at any point in my career. As far as development goes, at the end of the day I was really happy with how I was playing this year. I know the more that I play, the better I'm gonna get. If what I contributed this year is something that I can build off of next year, I'm going to be super happy with that.
“I feel like that is going to be something that helps the team win. I felt like I was helping the team win with what I was doing this year, too. I don't want it to be some type of scenario where it gets wrapped up in like, ‘Oh, he's getting behind.’ I don't feel that way at all.”