Rangers' Leody Taveras: Could be out a couple weeks
Rotowire
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Wednesday that Taveras (oblique) "is gonna take a little while, maybe a couple of weeks," Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.
Taveras had already basically been ruled out for Opening Day, so the rough timetable Bochy provided doesn't come as a surprise. The outfielder's left oblique strain is considered relatively minor, so the hope is that his absence isn't an extended one. Bubba Thompson is looking like the favorite to patrol center field for Texas while Taveras is on the shelf.
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Rangers' Leody Taveras: Has low-grade oblique strain
Rotowire
Taveras has been diagnosed with a low-grade left oblique strain, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Rangers general manager Chris Young didn't completely rule out Taveras being ready in time for Opening Day, but it sounds unlikely. The good news is the injury seems relatively minor as far as oblique strains go, so Taveras shouldn't miss too much time. Bubba Thompson is a candidate to handle center field for as long as Taveras is sidelined, and Adolis Garcia sliding over from right field is also a possibility.
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Rangers' Leody Taveras: Scratched with left side tightness
Rotowire
Taveras was scratched from Sunday's Cactus League contest due to left side tightness, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.
As Weaver points out, Taveras is the third member of the Rangers to have issues with his left side in the Cactus League, as Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi have also had the injury during the spring season. Bubba Thompson -- who was scratched Saturday with leg tightness -- will take his place in the lineup. Taveras will be evaluated in the coming days, and he should be considered day-to-day for now.
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Rangers' Leody Taveras: Productive in twin bill
Rotowire
Taveras went 3-for-7 with a two-run home run and a stolen base across both games of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Yankees.
After swiping his 11th bag of the year in the matinee, Taveras launched his fifth homer in the fifth inning of the nightcap off Gerrit Cole, his first since Sept. 11. The 24-year-old outfielder has established himself as a part of the Rangers' future this season, but his .260/.307/.367 slash line through 98 games offers plenty of room for improvement.
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Rangers' Leody Taveras: Remains out of lineup
Rotowire
Taveras isn't starting Monday against the Yankees.
Taveras has gone 0-for-13 with a run and seven strikeouts over his last five games, and he'll be held out of the lineup for a second consecutive game. Bubba Thompson is starting in center field and batting ninth.
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Rangers' Leody Taveras: Out of Sunday's lineup
Rotowire
Taveras is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
Taveras is 2-for-24 over his past nine games and will head to bench for Sunday's series finale. Bubba Thompson will shift to center field while Mark Mathias starts in right.
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Rangers' Leody Taveras: Retreats to bench Thursday
Rotowire
Taveras isn't in the lineup Thursday against Seattle.
Taveras is getting a breather after he went 0-for-7 with three strikeouts over the last two games. Bubba Thompson will shift to center field and bat sixth.
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Rangers' Leody Taveras: Fighting slump
Rotowire
Taveras went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 7-2 win over the Angels.
Taveras had a two-run single as part of a three-run eighth inning that put the game out of reach. He's cooled off considerably after a blazing start in June and July, as an anticipated correction has taken root. Since Aug. 1, Taveras is slashing .229/.276/.287 over 45 games. A BABIP that was at one point .424 has adjusted downward to .355.
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Rangers' Leody Taveras: Riding pine Sunday
Rotowire
Taveras is not in Sunday's lineup against the Rays.
He has only been held out of the lineup on two other occasions this month, but Taveras is slashing .189/.246/.245 with one home run, two steals, 15 strikeouts and three walks in 16 September games. Mark Mathias is getting the nod at designated hitter while Adolis Garcia starts in the outfield.
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Rangers' Leody Taveras: On bench for Game 1
Rotowire
Taveras is out of the lineup for the first game of Monday's doubleheader with the Marlins.
Bubba Thompson will slide over from right field to fill in as the Rangers' center fielder in place of Taveras, who takes a seat after a stretch of seven consecutive starts. Taveras' move to the bench comes after a 2-for-12 showing in the Rangers' weekend series with the Blue Jays, though he supplied his 10th stolen base of the season Friday and his fourth home run Sunday.
Taveras went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and was hit by a pitch in Friday's 4-3 loss to Toronto.
Taveras notched his 10th steal in the ninth inning, putting himself in position to score the tying run, but the Rangers were unable to deliver him. He's been an active base stealer in the minors, which carried over to the majors despite a poor track record of getting on base in two previous stints with the Rangers. He's been better at getting on base in 2022, posting a .333 OBP, and has attempted 15 steals.
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Rangers' Leody Taveras: On bench Saturday
Rotowire
Taveras isn't starting Saturday's game against the Red Sox.
Taveras is getting a rare day off after he went 1-for-12 with a run, a stolen base, a walk and two strikeouts over the last three games. Bubba Thompson will start in center field and bat ninth.
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Rangers' Leody Taveras: Notches steal in loss
Rotowire
Taveras went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Thursday's 9-8 loss to Boston.
Taveras swiped his ninth bag during the second inning, but Texas batters couldn't deliver him from second base with one out. He later came home during a two-run seventh. His BABIP has corrected, dropping from a high of .424 on Aug. 2 to a still-high .378 as of Thursday. Taveras has a .619 OPS during that 26-game span, down from a heady .829.
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Rangers' Leody Taveras: Steals eighth base
Rotowire
Taveras went 1-for-3 with two runs scored, a stolen base and a hit-by-pitch in a 7-0 victory Sunday in Minnesota.
Taveras was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored in the seventh and singled and scored in the ninth. It was his eighth stolen base in 12 attempts this season and the second time he's swiped a bag in the last three games. Following a 7-for-44 slump, the 23-year-old has a .324/.405/.471 line with seven RBI over his last 11 contests.
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Rangers' Leody Taveras: Sleeper hitters for Week 21 (Aug. 22-28)
Rotowire
Despite the skepticism surrounding him, Taveras' batting average is still hovering around the .300 mark, and his strikeout rate and exit velocity remain much improved. Between the two games at Coors Field and the three games against the Tigers, he should deal some damage this week.
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Rangers' Leody Taveras: Back in action Monday
Rotowire
Taveras (undisclosed) is starting Monday against the Athletics.
Taveras missed the last two games due to an apparent injury, but he'll start in center field and bat sixth during Monday's series opener against Oakland. The 23-year-old has hit .250 with three triples, a double, six RBI and a run over his last five games.
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Rangers' Leody Taveras: Sitting again Sunday
Rotowire
Taveras (undisclosed) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.
Taveras appears to be dealing with some type of injury, according to Levi Weaver of The Athletic, as manager Chris Woodward said the outfielder "just needs another day" before rejoining the lineup. The 23-year-old is on the bench Sunday for the second straight day, though Woodward indicated Taveras is expected back Monday versus Oakland.
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Rangers' Leody Taveras: Heads to bench
Rotowire
Taveras will sit Saturday against the Mariners.
Taveras finds himself on the bench for just the second time in the last month. He's taken a big step forward at the plate this season, hitting .293/.326/.431 in 52 games, though he has just five hits in his last seven contests. Bubba Thompson will start in center field in his absence.
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Rangers' Leody Taveras: Two hits, five RBI in win
Rotowire
Taveras went 2-for-4 with a triple, a double, five RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 8-4 extra-inning win over the Astros.
Taveras roped an RBI triple off Justin Verlander in the top of the fourth inning, delivering the Rangers their first run of the game. He later added a sacrifice fly in the sixth frame before driving in three more runs on a double in the 10th inning. The two extra-base hits were the outfielder's first since July 24 and the five RBI matched his total from his previous 19 games combined. Overall on the season, Taveras is batting .296 with 16 extra-base bits, 25 RBI, 23 runs and six stolen bases over 159 at-bats in 50 games.
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Rangers' Leody Taveras: Keeps moving up order
Rotowire
Taveras batted third and went 1-for-5 in Tuesday's 8-2 loss to the Orioles.
Taveras keeps working his way up the batting order; this was the third time in the last four games he's hit among the top third. When he was first brought up from Triple-A Round Rock in June, Taveras was regular at the lower end of the lineup, but as he's experienced success, he's slowly moved up where he'll get more plate appearances. There's a serious question as to whether he can sustain his .829 OPS; a .424 BABIP suggests a correction is coming, but the Rangers see fewer groundballs and a better overall approach.
