Just as teams gear up for the second half of the MLB season, the Texas Rangers are hitting the pause button on one of their key power bats. First baseman Jake Burger has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left quad strain, retroactive to July 13, the club announced Wednesday.
Burger picked up the injury during last Friday’s game against the division rival Houston Astros. He exited in the sixth inning and didn’t return over the weekend. The original plan was to have him back in the lineup Sunday, but he got scratched before first pitch. Not ideal heading into the All-Star break.
Burger’s Bat Goes Cold, Then Goes Missing
Let’s talk numbers. Through 75 games this season, Burger is hitting just .228 with 11 homers, 14 doubles, 33 runs, and 35 RBIs. That adds up to a .659 OPS and a 0.2 WAR — not exactly eye-popping, especially compared to his breakout power output the last two seasons. The bat has been streaky, the consistency hasn’t been there, and now the quad gives out.
Even so, there’s no question the Rangers would rather have him healthy. Burger may not be lighting up the stat sheet, but his right-handed pop and defensive flexibility remain valuable over a long 162-game grind.
A Wild Ride Across Three Teams in Two Seasons
Burger’s been bouncing around trhe last couple of seasons. Just last summer, he was a trade-deadline pickup by the Marlins, who snagged him from the Chicago White Sox. This past offseason, the Rangers added him to beef up their lineup — a calculated move that hasn’t paid off just yet.
Still, Burger’s career averages paint a fuller picture: a .247 hitter with a .766 OPS, pacing out to 32 bombs, 30 doubles, and 85 RBIs per full season. That kind of production is hard to ignore, and exactly why the Rangers took a swing on him in the first place.
Now What for the Texas Rangers?
Burger is eligible to return as early as May 23, though the Rangers haven’t announced a corresponding roster move yet. With the All-Star break behind them, this timing puts the front office in a tough spot. Do they call up a young bat? Shuffle the infield? Add a platoon piece? The clock is ticking.
As the second half begins, Texas finds itself needing depth, power, and a little bit of health luck. And until Jake Burger is back in the box, they’ll be missing a piece they were counting on to bring the beef.
