Carter is out of the lineup for Game 6 of the ALCS against the Astros on Sunday.
The rookie outfielder is 4-for-18 with a walk, two doubles and two runs through the first five games of the series, but he'll take a seat Sunday with lefty Framber Valdez pitching for Houston. Robbie Grossman is instead starting in left field, while Carter is a good bet to come off the bench for Texas once Valdez exits the contest.
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Rangers' Evan Carter: Batting third again in Game 4
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Carter will bat third again Thursday in Game 4 of the ALCS against the Astros.
Carter jumped into the three-hole for Game 3 and went 1-for-4 with a double and two strikeouts as the Rangers fell 8-5. The 21-year-old left fielder has been tremendous throughout his first postseason experience, boasting a .333/.500/.667 slash line with a homer, five doubles and seven walks in 32 plate appearances.
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Rangers' Evan Carter: Batting third in ALCS Game 3
Rotowire
Carter is starting in left field and batting third Wednesday in Game 3 of the ALCS against the Astros.
Carter mostly batted ninth over the final month of the regular season, but he moved up to the No. 5 spot in the Rangers' lineup for their ALDS matchup against the Orioles and will now jump all the way to the three-hole Wednesday versus the Astros and right-hander Cristian Javier. The 21-year-old rising star boasts a .350/.536/.700 slash line through his first 28 postseason plate appearances.
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Rangers' Evan Carter: Might bat third in Game 3
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Rangers manager Bruce Bochy acknowledged Tuesday that he was considering batting Carter third Wednesday in Game 3 of the ALCS versus the Astros, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.
Carter had been hitting fifth for the Rangers of late before not starting Game 2 against lefty Framber Valdez (although, he did receive three plate appearances off the bench). With righty Cristian Javier starting for Houston in Game 3 and no southpaws in its bullpen, he could be elevated to the three spot. Texas has been using Robbie Grossman or Mitch Garver in the three hole, but it makes sense to move up Carter, who leads the Rangers with a 1.236 OPS through 28 plate appearances this postseason.
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Rangers' Evan Carter: Absent from Game 2 lineup
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Carter is not in the lineup Monday for Game 2 of the ALCS against the Astros.
This is the first time the Rangers have faced a lefty starter this postseason in Framber Valdez, and it's the first time the left-handed hitting Carter has been on the bench. Switch hitter Robbie Grossman will handle left field for the Rangers, while Mitch Garver will occupy the designated hitter spot.
Rangers' Evan Carter: Could rise up lineup for ALDS
Rotowire
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Friday that he's considering moving Carter up in the lineup for the ALDS against the Orioles, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.
The 21-year-old outfielder batted ninth in Games 1 and 2 of the AL Wild Card Series against the Rays and went 3-for-4 with a homer, two doubles, three walks and a hit-by pitch, reaching base in seven of his eight plate appearances. "He handles himself so well," said Bochy. "He could go in the three-hole, or in the five-hole, or really anywhere in the lineup." As noted by Grant, the No. 3 hitters for Texas have gone a combined 18-for-116 (.155) dating back to the beginning of September.
Carter went 2-for-2 with two walks, a stolen base and a run scored in Tuesday's 4-0 win over the Rays in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series.
Carter entered the postseason carrying a .310/.408/.714 line across 42 ABs in his last 15 regular-season games, and taking the stage for the first time in his career did not phase the rookie. While he stole only a single base in that span, he does possess an elite 29.6 ft/s sprint speed, which he may utilize more in the postseason to create additional run-scoring opportunities.
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Rangers' Evan Carter: Homers in win
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Carter went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Wednesday's 5-0 win over the Angels.
Carter is up to five homers since his call-up Sept. 8, and four of those long balls have come over his last seven games. He padded the Rangers' lead in the ninth inning with his blast Wednesday. The rookie outfielder has adjusted well to the majors, hitting .320 with a 1.146 OPS, 12 RBI, 14 runs scored and three stolen bases over 61 plate appearances. Carter should be able to maintain a strong-side platoon role into the postseason if the Rangers clinch a spot.
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Rangers' Evan Carter: Hits bench versus lefty
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Carter isn't in the Rangers' lineup Tuesday versus the Angels.
Carter has gotten his major-league career off to a fast start, slashing .326/.429/.696 with four homers and 10 RBI over his first 17 games. He'll sit down Tuesday with lefty Reid Detmers starting for Los Angeles, and Robbie Grossman will take over in left field.
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Rangers' Evan Carter: Catches breather Monday
Rotowire
Carter is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Angels.
Carter has homered three times over his last four games, but he will open Monday's contest on the bench, with manager Bruce Bochy opting to use the righty-swinging Robbie Grossman in left field against Angels southpaw Patrick Sandoval.
