Smith went 2-for-5 with a double, one RBI, a stolen base and one run scored in Wednesday's 10-6 win over the Yankees.
Smith has hit safely in six of his last seven games, going 8-for-26 (.308) with three RBI in that span. He got a rare look at leadoff with Marcus Semien sitting out Wednesday, though Smith has regularly batted third versus right-handers lately. He should be in line for a strong-side platoon role at shortstop while Corey Seager (hip) is on the injured list. Smith is slashing .268/.354/.413 with 12 home runs, 54 RBI, 57 runs scored and nine steals over 129 contests this season.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Josh Smith: Sitting against southpaw
Rotowire
Smith is out of the lineup for Friday's game against Oakland.
Smith will dodge a same-handed matchup with JP Sears on Friday, giving way to Robbie Grossman at DH.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Josh Smith: Idle versus lefty
Rotowire
Smith isn't in the Rangers' lineup for Tuesday's game against the White Sox.
With southpaw Garrett Crochet slated to take the mound for Chicago, the lefty-hitting Smith will begin Tuesday's contest on the bench. His absence will allow Robbie Grossman to serve as the Rangers' designated hitter and bat third.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Josh Smith: Heading to bench Sunday
Rotowire
Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.
Southpaw Matthew Boyd will draw the start for the Guardians, so the lefty-hitting Smith will hit the bench in favor of the right-handed-hitting Ezequiel Duran, who gets the nod at third base. Smith has endured a rough August thus far, slashing just .203/.247/.278 with four extra-base hits (one home run, three doubles) and one stolen base.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Josh Smith: Taking seat Wednesday
Rotowire
Smith is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.
Smith will get a day off while he's managed a .198/.258/.285 batting line since the All-Star break. The Rangers will give Adolis Garcia a start in the designated-hitter spot, while Travis Jankowski will patrol right field.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Josh Smith: Back in lineup
Rotowire
Smith started at third base and went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Sunday's 6-5 extra-inning win over Minnesota.
Smith, who was given a break Saturday after starting eight games in seven days, was back in the lineup and stole his eighth base. A strong first half put him on fantasy radars, but a .202/.264/.294 line since the All-Star break is more in line with Smith's production from previous seasons.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Josh Smith: Not starting Saturday
Rotowire
Smith is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's contest against the Twins.
Smith will retreat to the dugout after going 0-for-7 with one run scored across the first two games of the series. Carson Kelly will serve as the designated hitter and bat eighth against Twins right-hander David Festa.
Smith went 1-for-5 with a two-run homer in Monday's 4-3 victory over Houston.
The Texas utility man won the game in the 10th inning with his 410-foot, two-run homer off lefty reliever Caleb Ferguson. This is Smith's first extra-base hit since taking over the leadoff spot from Marcus Semien on July 29. In seven games since then, the 26-year-old is batting .233 (7-for-30) with eight strikeouts and no walks. Overall, Smith is now slashing .278/.369/.442 with 12 homers, seven steals, 50 runs scored and 48 RBI across 408 plate appearances.
Smith served as the designated hitter and went 0-for-4 in Tuesday's 8-1 loss to St. Louis.
Smith moved to DH as the Rangers welcomed back third baseman Josh Jung after a long recovery from a wrist injury. Smith made the most of his opportunity filling in at third while Jung was unavailable, and manager Bruce Bochy is expected to now use Smith as the team's primary DH.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Josh Smith: Moves to leadoff
Rotowire
Smith hit leadoff and started at third base in Monday's 6-3 win over St. Louis, going 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Smith was in the field at third base even though Josh Jung was activated off the 60-day injured list Monday. While that was surprising, so was Smith's slotting in the leadoff spot while Marcus Semien was dropped to third in the order. Texas manager Bruce Bochy told Kennedi Landry of MLB.com that the tweaked batting order was in relation to Jung's return. It's unclear if more tweaks are expected once Jung is in the starting lineup, or if the changes will be reflected against both right-handed and left-handed starters.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Josh Smith: Pokes homer in loss
Rotowire
Smith went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Sunday's 7-3 loss to the Blue Jays.
Smith launched a two-run shot in the eighth inning, his 11th of the season. With news that third baseman Josh Jung (wrist) is progressing well on a rehab assignment, Smith will soon find a new home in the Rangers' lineup, likely as the primary designated hitter.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Josh Smith: Sitting out Friday
Rotowire
Smith is not in the lineup for Friday's contest in Toronto.
The left-handed hitting Smith will get the day off as the Blue Jays send southpaw Yusei Kikuchi to the hill. Righty-hitting Jonathan Ornelas will handle third base duties.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Josh Smith: Two hits, two RBI in win
Rotowire
Smith went 2-for-4 with two RBI in Wednesday's 10-2 win over the White Sox.
Smith singled in one run then got another home on a sacrifice fly. With news that third baseman Josh Jung (wrist) is set to begin a rehab assignment Friday, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com, the Rangers will soon have to find a home for Smith's bat. The most logical move is to have Smith become the team's primary designated hitter. Texas designated hitters are last in the league in batting average (.197), slugging percentage (.310) and OPS (.573).
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Josh Smith: Integral in win
Rotowire
Smith went 2-for-4 with a stolen base, an RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the White Sox.
Smith scored the Rangers' second run when he stole home on a double-steal in the first inning. It was his sixth steal in seven attempts. The infielder later gave the team a 3-1 lead in the eighth inning with a run-producing double. That insurance run became important when reliever Josh Sborz permitted a leadoff home run in the next frame. For Smith, the two-hit night halted an 0-for-14 skid since returning from the All-Star break.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Josh Smith: Carries Texas to win
Rotowire
Smith went 2-for-4 with two two-run home runs during Sunday's 4-2 win over the Astros.
As a team, the Rangers logged only three hits Sunday. Two of those came off Smith's bat, and each wound up in the stands for the 26-year-old's first career multi-homer game. During his last 11 games, Smith is batting 13-for-40 (.325) with three homers, seven runs scored, eight RBI and a stolen base.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Josh Smith: Steal, run scored in win
Rotowire
Smith went 0-for-2 with two walks, a stolen base, a caught stealing and a run scored in Saturday's 2-1 extra-inning win over Houston.
Smith scored the go-ahead run in the 10th inning as the automatic runner and stole his first base in 29 games. The theft was his fifth (in six attempts), a new career high in the majors. Smith was also hit by a pitch for the 15th time this season, most in MLB.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Josh Smith: Homers in three-hit game
Rotowire
Smith went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Angels.
Smith has hit safely in his last seven games, going 11-for-30 (.367) in that span. His homer Tuesday, a first-inning blast off Roansy Contreras, was Smith's first long ball since June 23. The 26-year-old is up to eight homers, 36 RBI, 42 runs scored, four stolen bases and a .296/.384/.457 slash line over 86 contests this season. Smith's maintained a strong batting average, but he's a bit lacking in over-the-fence power, though he's managed 19 doubles to lead the Rangers in two-baggers.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Josh Smith: Checking back into lineup
Rotowire
Smith (glute) will start at third base and bat third in Sunday's game against the Rays.
Smith had been out of the lineup for the past two days with glute tightness, but he'll be ready to give it a go for the series finale. The 26-year-old will carry a four-game hitting streak into Sunday's contest and is slashing .291/.391/.509 overall wit three home runs, nine RBI and seven runs in his last 15 games.
