carter-getty.png
Getty Images

The Texas Rangers have placed All-Star outfielder Adolis García on the injured list with a patellar tendon strain and will purchase the contract of top outfield prospect Evan Carter to make his big-league debut, the team announced Thursday.

García suffered the injury in the second inning of Wednesday's American League West clash against the Astros, when he attempted to make a leaping grab on what turned out to be a Michael Brantley home run. He was forced to leave the game.

The 30-year-old García was able to walk off the field, albeit with some assistance from a trainer. He was replaced by Robbie Grossman. 

García, an All-Star this season for the second time in his career, will head to the IL having batted .244/.322/.494 with 34 home runs, 100 RBI, and eight stolen bases (on eight attempts). His contributions have been worth an estimated 3.7 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference's calculations. 

Carter, for his part, is one of the best prospects in the game. CBS Sports ranked him ninth in June as part of a midseason update. Here's what we wrote at the time:

Carter is a good reminder that overreacting on draft night is a fool's errand. The Rangers shocked the industry by selecting him in the second round in 2020. It's clear now that they were wise to do so. He hadn't been on everyone's map, but those familiar with him reported that he was a promising player whose upward trajectory was halted by the pandemic.Carter has since proved as much on the field, showing off a well-rounded game that allows him to hit for average and control the strike zone while playing a good center field and contributing plenty of stolen bases. Given his performance and the Rangers' success to date, he just might debut later this year. MLB ETA: Late 2023 or early 2024

Although Carter will make his debut after Aug. 31, he could still be playoff eligible because he was already in the organization. The Rangers could petition the league, as outlined by MLB.com:

A player who doesn't meet said criteria for postseason eligibility can still be added to a team's roster in the postseason via petition to the Commissioner's Office if the player was in the organization on Aug. 31 and is replacing someone who is on the injured list and has served the minimum amount of time required for activation. (For example, a player on the 10-day injured list who has been on it for at least 10 days, or a player who has been on the 60-day injured list for at least 60 days.) Players who are acquired in September or after are ineligible.

The injury comes as the Rangers are mired in deep struggles. They come into Thursday having lost three in a row and six of their last seven. Texas was a season-best 24 games over .500 on Aug. 15, but the recent skid has dropped the Rangers into a virtual tie with the Blue Jays for the final AL wild-card spot. That's quite a tumble for a team that seemed a lock to win the division and was in the discussion for best team in baseball.