If there's any single bat the Texas Rangers need to get going down the stretch its left fielder Wyatt Langford.
His injury-marred season has put a damper on what many thought would be a true breakout campaign for the third-year outfielder, who was the Rangers No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft.
After two years of solid play, just about everyone thought Langford had the potential to be an All-Star. But after a forearm injury and a hamstring strain, Langford missed nearly two months of the season. While he caught fire after he came off the IL for the last time in June, his bat has been in a valley ever since.
After his home run against Arizona on Saturday - the second straight game in which Langford has had at least one hit, Rangers manager Skip Schumaker hopes that his third-year pro can finally get going and help Texas consistently down the stretch as they try to claw back into a AL West race that seemed lost just a couple of days ago.
Schumaker addressed Langford's impact on Saturday's game with Rangers Sports Network .
"It's good to see him getting going because he is playing so hard and playing the right way, working the right way, preparing the right way - he just hasn't gotten any luck on his side lately," Schumaker said. "So, it's good to get a couple hits, some damage too."
It was Langford's solo home run in the fifth inning on Saturday that jump started a six-run inning for Texas as they claimed a 6-2 win over the Diamondbacks . It helped the Rangers cut the lead in the AL West to two games after the Houston Astros lost to the Tampa Bay Rays . It also capped off 2-for-4 game for Langford, as he drove in a run and scored a run.
In his previous game against Arizona on Friday, he went 1-for-4 but struck out twice. Still, it was progress after he only had one hit in Seattle , which happened to be a home run.
After he came off the injured list in June, he batted .317 for that month with seven home runs and 16 RBI. But he was unable to sustain it, as he's acknowledged to reporters that he is not 100% after the forearm and hamstring injuries.
In July he batted .274 with four home runs and 10 RBI. But in August he hit a huge dip, as he batted just .189 with three home runs and six RBI.
After his game on Saturday, Langford is still only batting .179 for September with two home runs and three RBI. He's hit home runs in two of his last five games entering Sunday's finale. The Rangers need more from him down the stretch. Schumaker has his fingers crossed that Langford is positioning himself to deliver.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/rangers/onsi as Rangers Desperately Need More from Wyatt Langford Down Stretch .
