Evan Carter to Miss Start of Rangers’ 2027 Season
Texas Rangers outfielder Evan Carter underwent a procedure to repair his right hip last week and is expected to miss the start of the 2027 season. The 24-year-old’s return date has not been set.
Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said Carter is likely to be sidelined for the early part of next season following an operation on his right hip. Young said he expects Carter to play for most of 2027, but the team has no established timetable for his return. It is also unclear whether the hip problem is connected to the back issues that have disrupted Carter’s career.
Carter’s injuries limited him to 45 games in 2024, when he dealt with a lower-back ailment. In 2025, a quadriceps injury, muscle spasms in his back and a broken wrist kept him to 63 appearances.
He played 141 games in 2026, his most since making his major-league debut, despite missing time with an oblique strain. His batting line was .191, with nine homers, 40 runs batted in and a .603 on-base-plus-slugging mark.
Carter had made an immediate impact after joining Texas in September 2023, batting .306 with five homers and a 1.058 on-base-plus-slugging mark over 23 games in the regular season. He also hit .300 during the Rangers’ postseason run to their first World Series title.
His absence leaves Texas with another question in its outfield plans as it prepares for 2027. The team is also facing an offseason that includes work on an inconsistent offense and a struggling bullpen. Young’s prediction that Carter could appear for the bulk of the season offers some reassurance, but no early-season availability is assured.