This story was excerpted from Kennedi Landry's Rangers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
MINNEAPOLIS -- Evan Carter, who was the Rangers’ top prospect in 2023, is getting his first real extended run in center field since the start of his big league career.
For much of the last five years, Leody Taveras has been the mainstay at the position, with Carter playing left field since his callup two seasons ago. Now that the Rangers have moved on from Taveras, it’s Carter’s position to hold down for good.
When Carter was called up in September of 2023, he hit .306 with five homers and 12 RBIs in 23 games as a 21-year-old. But a nagging back injury affected his swing for the last year, when he slashed just .188/.272/.361 in 45 games.
He opened this season with Round Rock as his struggles at the plate persisted throughout Spring Training (.419 OPS and 15 strikeouts in 42 plate appearances) ahead of a promotion on May 6. Then, he slashed just .182/.270/.273 with one home run and three RBIs in 11 MLB games this season before landing on the injured list on May 17 with a Grade 2 quad strain.
But since returning from the injured list, Carter has slashed .389/.421/.778 in six games. He’s looked more like the version of himself that the Rangers saw in 2023.
“Sometimes, you just gotta find a way to take pressure off yourself,” Carter said. “You don't have to try and be more than who you are. I think just go out there, have fun, be who you are, and you don't really need to put pressure on yourself to do more. Everybody's here for a reason. I think I needed to, I don't know, tell myself that, a little bit.”
In Sunday’s series-clinching win against the Nationals, Carter was a triple shy of the cycle as he tied his career high with three hits. His home run that day was his first since May 10 in Detroit.
“You have to like where he’s at,” manager Bruce Bochy said on Sunday. “You have to like how he’s swinging it. He’s looked a lot more comfortable up there.”
Carter admitted he was happy to finally see the results of his work pay off, noting that sometimes, it got hard to remember that he’s here for a reason and that he could continue to contribute at this level.
It’s easy to understand why. At 21, Carter was on top of the world with the Rangers winning the World Series. The following 18 months were anything but easy.
“I’ve had a lot of health stuff going on and it's easy to sit there and think what my future is gonna look like,” he said. “The way things started in Triple-A this year sucked. I missed a lot of games and I wasn't performing. At that point, it’s like, what does my future in baseball look like? It's easy to think like that when you get punched in the face for a year straight. Times are good now for sure. It's definitely good for the mentals.”
As the Rangers’ offense continues to try to find its footing, Carter will be a big piece of that. While his defense continues to be above average at a premium position, if his offensive production returns to his career norms, things could surely be looking up for Texas as a whole.
On Tuesday, in the Rangers’ series opener against the Twins, Carter drew his first walk since May 14. He also notched another multi-hit day with a homer in his second straight game.
When he’s going well, he’s working counts, drawing walks and driving the ball to all fields. If that version of him is back, the Rangers will be better for it.
“I just feel on time right now,” Carter said. “I’m liking the way I'm looking. I’ve been putting good swings down, regardless of what the outcome is. That's all you can really ask for. Hitting is really hard, so all I can control is being on time and putting a good swing down. I've been doing that. I finally got some results, so that’s always great.”
And Carter, even at just 22 now, is much better equipped to deal with the ups and downs of the Majors than he was a year-and-a-half ago. As he’s struggled with the injuries and underperformance, he’s matured beyond many his age.
He’s worked relentlessly, both physically and mentally, to get back to where he was.
“I've been fortunate enough to go through the highs and the lows in the Minors and the highs and the lows in the big leagues,” he said. “I think that that makes me a more complete player mentally. That's really valuable for me going forward. I think mental growth is, how quick can you get out of the lows and how long can you make the highs? That’s what I’m trying to do.”