ARLINGTON -- Two weeks ago, Josh Smith was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock for the first time since 2022. At the same time, the Rangers were staring down a stretch that very well could have changed the course of the season.
His stay down in Round Rock was quick, with shortstop Corey Seager landing on the injured list for the third time this season on Wednesday.
Smith’s impact upon his return was quick, too. The utilityman launched a 406-foot, pinch-hit solo homer in the Rangers’ 10-4 win over the Tigers on Thursday night, giving them much-needed insurance in the middle innings before Texas padded the lead late.
And Smith returned to a team in a much different position than the one he left.
Thursday's victory was a full team win that capped off a 15-game, 15-day stretch for the Rangers that included a 10-game road trip between Miami, Toronto and Cleveland. They came out of it 15-10 to climb back above .500 and into first place in the American League West, where they're currently tied with the Mariners.
Over the course of 15 days, the Rangers welcomed both Wyatt Langford Seager back to the lineup. Over the course of these 15 days, they’ve both landed back on the injured list yet again. But that hasn’t slowed the guys that have remained.
“That is a testament to the front office, the players stepping up at the right time and filling in in different positions,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “We had some big boys go down, too. For them to fill in and do what they did just shows you what's in that clubhouse, the type of culture there is here. That's what I'm most proud of, these guys having real team wins.”
Thursday’s win featured another multihit day from All-Star hopeful Josh Jung and the bullpen coming up big behind ace Nathan Eovaldi after he lost steam in the sixth inning. But perhaps the biggest contributions came from the unsung heroes like Smith, as the offense rolled along to season highs in both hits (17) and runs (10, which the Rangers have now totaled four times).
Elias Díaz, who signed with Rangers on June 6 after he was designated for assignment by the Royals, opened the scoring with a solo homer in the second inning. Nicky Lopez, who signed with the Rangers on May 27 after he was designated for assignment by the Cubs, went 3-for-4 in the nine-hole.
But maybe the biggest moment of the evening came in the top of the sixth inning, with the Rangers holding onto a slim two-run lead after Eovaldi’s departure. Tyler Alexander, the first arm out of the bullpen, recorded two outs, but allowed an infield single and walk to load the bases.
Enter Peyton Gray, who signed with the Rangers this offseason but wasn’t called up until April 23. He threw three pitches, all strikes, for a punchout of Hao-Yu Lee to strand the bases loaded and keep the lead intact.
“At the end of the day, everybody in here wants to win,” said Evan Carter, who went 2-for-2 with a homer off the bench. “I think everybody's showing up in the field every single day, everybody's got their own unique skill sets, and we go out there trying to compete and grind and do whatever we can to help the team win every single day. I think that's a collective thing that everybody here feels. Nobody here is playing for themselves, and I think that shows on the field.”
Lopez, who was with the Cubs when the Rangers took two of three in early May in Arlington, recognized the signs of a "resilient bunch” well before he joined the club.
This 15-day stretch has dealt blow after blow. And each time, that resilience showed.
“You could see the talent that they had,” Lopez recalled thinking. “It's not a group that we're gonna feel sorry for ourselves and stuff like that. It's a group that we attack every single day. We plan for that day, and then once that day is over, we turn the page to the next day. Obviously, with Seags being down, we would rather have him in the lineup. But we have to try to do as best as we can, and piece together what we might be missing with him and then keep that going.”