Toward the end of the 2023 regular season, young outfielder Evan Carter took the league by storm. The Texas Rangers called him up at the start of September while the team was going through one of their biggest slumps of the season. Carter quickly rejuvenated the team’s struggling lineup and became one of the league’s most electrifying players for the season’s final month.
Through 23 games, Carter quickly became the biggest name in the league, along with being the most stunning September call-up in recent memory. While the 22-year-old was able to hit for contact, finishing his brief regular season with a .302 average, he also displayed his ability to hit for power. He finished the regular season with five home runs and five extra-base hits in only 62 at-bats.
Carter’s historic emergence in MLB did not come to an end once the regular season concluded. Instead, he joined the Rangers in the postseason. He became just what Texas needed to rejuvenate their fatigued lineup. He was also an expectational fielder who looked like he could match up against any veteran outfielder. Carter ended his astounding postseason run with an unbelievable .300/.417/.500 slash line through 72 plate appearances.
Once the Rangers’ magical postseason run culminated with their first World Series championship in franchise history, fans began to look at Carter as a young savior. Comparisons were already being made to a young Mike Trout. While many believed that Carter would be the homegrown franchise player that the Rangers had been searching for for years. The ceiling for Carter couldn’t be higher, and fans were euphoric, thinking about how good the Rangers would be with Carter at the heart of the lineup for years to come.
Several Setbacks Hampered Evan Carter’s Ascendance
Going into 2024, the Rangers had big expectations for the then-21-year-old, along with the rest of the baseball world. Carter was an early favorite to win AL Rookie of the Year. The Rangers were hoping his amazing postseason performance would carry over into his first full regular season. Unfortunately for Carter and the Rangers, quite the opposite happened. He was forced to miss the majority of the season due to a lingering back injury. Due to his persistent back issues, he only made 45 appearances for the Rangers in 2024.
Even when Carter was healthy enough to play, something was clearly bothering him. Through only 45 games, his performance was a far cry from the Evan Carter we got a flash of in 2023. He finished his 2024 season with a less-than-impressive .188/.272/.361 line
A Long IL Stint
Carter’s season came to a premature ending when the Rangers put him on the injured list towards the end of May due to what they described as a stress reaction in his back. This was not the first time that Carter had dealt with back issues in his young career. He was forced to miss a significant amount of time while in the minors due to recurring back problems.
While the Rangers were hoping that Carter would eventually be able to put his back injuries aside and return to the field, a multitude of setbacks forced Carter to miss the remainder of the 2024 season, which turned out to be a forgettable one for Texas. The team failed to make the postseason and finished with a 78-84 record.
Carter was clearly frustrated with how his rookie season played out. He made his frustration known at the end of the season. “You go from the coolest thing you can do in baseball to missing your entire rookie season,” Carter said. It was obvious that he was disappointed in how the season played out. The Rangers were just as disappointed.
It was abundantly clear that Carter’s bat was missed in the Rangers lineup. After winning the World Series, the Rangers offense took a huge fall back to earth. With several players having lackluster performances through most of the season, it was clear that they missed his ability to ignite an offense like he did in 2023.
Looking to Move Forward
Both Carter and the Rangers were disappointed by the setbacks in his promising career. Still, he remains optimistic about returning to the field. Carter’s optimistic nature was put on display back in September. When asked about his recovery, he said, “I’m excited about what we’ve got going forward. We’ll see how it goes.” It is good to see that Carter is in high spirits regarding his return. Hopefully, he will be able to put this unfortunate season behind him.
Many were hoping Evan Carter would continue on the trajectory of becoming an all-time great for the Rangers, but his many setbacks have hampered that process so far. The Rangers will need him to be a spark plug in the lineup once again to restore their lethal offense from 2023.
