Rangers first baseman Ronald Guzmán lasted just three innings during Saturday’s game against the Angels. The infielder smacked a double off of the right field wall at the top of the third, but appeared to injure his leg while running the bases and was quickly removed from the game.
Further evaluation revealed a case of right hamstring tightness, though the extent of the injury and the length of Guzmán’s absence from the lineup has not been determined. Prior to Saturday’s appearance, the 24-year-old first baseman was 5-for-27 with two home runs and four RBI in his first eight games of the season.
An official replacement, if any is needed, has yet to be announced by the team. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News speculates that the Rangers could carve out a path for outfield prospect Willie Calhoun by shifting Joey Gallo from left field to first base and placing Edinson Vólquez on the 60-day injured list (pending an MRI for his elbow sprain), but they’ve yet to give any indication that they’re willing to do so.
Following Guzmán’s injury, Asdrúbal Cabrera stepped in to pinch-run at second base, then took over the hot corner while Logan Forsythe switched from third to first in the bottom of the inning. The Rangers currently trail the Angels 4-1 thanks to Mike Trout’s grand slam off Drew Smyly in the fourth inning, his first since 2015.
Update: On Sunday, the Rangers placed Guzmán on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. Infielder Patrick Wisdom was recalled from Triple-A Nashville in a corresponding move.
