The Texas Rangers will likely be without their iron man for the rest of the season. Marcus Semien injured his left foot in two ways, a fracture and a sprain, caused when he fouled a ball off it on Saturday during a 6-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals. This will be the second time in his career that he will go to the injured list. The last time was 2017 when he missed three months with a wrist injury as a member of the Oakland Athletics.
Marcus Semien Could Miss Rest of Season on Injured List
Semien has only missed six of the Rangers’ 615 games since he became a member in 2022, when he signed a $175 million, seven-year contract. The Rangers will have to adjust without the veteran, and they have a few options to fill in for him.
The funny thing is that both these players were acquired in a trade for former Rangers’ All-Star Joey Gallo.
Marcus Semien is likely out for the remainder of the season with a fracture and lisfranc sprain in his foot, per @kennlandry
He is expected to miss at least 4-6 weeks, and surgery isn’t needed at this moment.
Semien has played in no less than 159 games every full-length… pic.twitter.com/7YbutjGQB8
— Rangers Nation ⚾️ (@rangers__nation) August 25, 2025
Josh Smith
Josh Smith has been a super utility player for the Rangers over the last couple of years, breaking out last year and winning the utility Silver Slugger Award. He has been great for them again this year, slashing .257/.335/.381 with nine home runs and 32 RBI.
He can also play all across the diamond. Smith can fill in well for Semien, but he has already found himself as an everyday part of the lineup even with Semien in it. He has played first base, third base, and the corner outfield so far this year.
He has been a bit cold lately, hitting just .202 over his last 30 games. However, he is still a player the Rangers need in the lineup, and he can fit in all over their batting order.
Ezequiel Duran
Ezequiel Duran has been a bit of an afterthought for the Rangers for most of the year, but now he is starting to turn some heads. He has been on fire for the month of August, ranking near the top of the league offensively. This month, he has slashed .294/.324/.368 with no home runs and eight RBIs.
While not hitting for much power, he has done a good job at getting on base and being someone who can set the table for the heavy hitters in the lineup. There has not been a set spot in the lineup for him, as his spot has ranged from nine to two based on recent great play.
He is representing a counter option to Josh Smith, as he was someone who started out slow for the Rangers, but has come on strong recently, and has been someone that manager Bruce Bochy has to include in the lineup against lefties.
Outlook
It is do or die for the Rangers right now as they sit 5 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot. They are going to need to play very good baseball down the stretch. To do that, they are going to need big contributions from both Smith and Duran, as well as other members of the lineup, to make up for the loss of Semien.
The last month of baseball will be exciting to watch as the Rangers will do their best to keep their postseason hopes alive, and this will likely keep fans on the edge of their seats for the rest of the season. It will be fun to watch this come down to the wire.
Main Photo Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images
