Rangers place García on IL with patella tendon strain

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — All-Star slugger Adolis García, the American League leader with 100 RBIs, will be placed on the 10-day injured list by the playoff-contending and slumping Texas Rangers after an MRI on Thursday revealed a patella tendon strain in his right knee.

General manager Chris Young said García won’t need surgery because there is no rupture and the team is cautiously optimistic he might be able to return this season. The GM didn’t provide a timetable, and the Rangers have 23 regular-season games left.

Texas is going to call up top prosect outfielder Evan Carter, and he will join the team for the opener of a weekend series at home against Oakland on Friday night. Young said the team wasn’t ready to announce the move needed to add him to the 40-man roster.

García got hurt after his unsuccessful leaping attempt to prevent a home run while playing right field Wednesday night, when Houston hit five homers and beat the Rangers 12-3 to complete a three-game sweep.

García’s right leg jammed hard to the ground and his knee buckled when he came down after leaping at the wall in the second inning. After getting up and putting his hands on both knees, and a visitor from an athletic trainer, Garcia slammed a hand several times in frustration before slowly walking to the dugout.

Carter, a second-round pick in the 2020 amateur draft, has played only eight games at Triple-A Round Rock, where he hit .353 with three RBIs. He has hit .288 with 13 homers and 67 RBIs in 108 games overall this season in the minors.

García is hitting .244 with 34 homers and his 100 RBIs in 135 games. After his foul popout in the first inning Wednesday night, he is batting .161 (10 of 62) over his past 16 games.

But his walkoff homer against Minnesota on Sunday, after striking out in his first four at-bats that game, gave the Rangers a 6-5 win. That is their only win over their last seven games, a stretch that has dropped them from first place to third in the AL West standings. Texas has lost 15 of 19 overall.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb