Evan Carter is expected to miss the beginning of the 2027 season , and the Texas Rangers still don't know exactly when they'll get their young outfielder back.
Carter underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right hip last week, according to Rangers President of baseball operations Chris Young . The procedure will keep him out of the lineup to open next season, although Young said he did "expect him to play" the majority of 2027.
That is encouraging, considering the alternative. It's also another frustrating development for a player whose MLB career has featured far more medical updates than anybody in Arlington would've liked.
There is no established timeline for Carter's return at this moment. It also remains unclear whether the hip issue is related to the back problems that have repeatedly interrupted his career.
Texas Rangers left fielder Evan Carter. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
For a few remarkable weeks in 2023, Carter made professional baseball look almost suspiciously easy. He arrived in September and looked comfortable, hitting .306 with five home runs and a 1.058 OPS in 23 regular-season games. He then hit .300 during the Rangers' postseason run, helping Texas win its first World Series title in franchise history.
At the time, the thought of Carter becoming a fixture in the Rangers' outfield seemed like a certainty. But injuries have had other ideas.
A lower back ailment limited him to 45 games in 2024, and 2025 brought an entirely different collection of problems. A quad strain, back spasms and a fractured wrist restricted him to just 63 appearances.
The 2026 season was at least a step forward in terms of availability. Carter played in 141 games despite missing time with an oblique strain, giving the Rangers their longest look at him since his debut.
The production, however, was disappointing. He hit .191 with nine home runs, 40 RBIs and a .603 OPS, numbers that hardly resembled the hitter who made such an impression three years earlier.
Now Texas must prepare for a season without him. Carter's absence complicates the club's outfield plans and adds another concern to an offseason that already needs to address an inconsistent offense, a troubling bullpen and a slew of other issues.
Young's expectation that Carter will play most of 2027 provides some reassurance. But without a firm return date, there's little reason for the Rangers to assume he'll be available early in the schedule.
Carter is only 24, and the talent that made him such an exciting part of the 2023 championship team still matters. A question for Texas is how many more interrupted seasons it can withstand before that talent stops being part of its plans.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/rangers/onsi as Rangers Evan Carter to Miss Start of 2027 Season After Hip Surgery .
