Rangers star second baseman hopes rest helps neck issue

Marcus Semien went 1-for-4 in the Rangers’ 8-2 loss to the Marlins on Friday, marking his return to the lineup after sitting out Texas’ previous game.

While off days aren’t normally worth mention, Semien’s absence from Wednesday’s lineup ended a streak of 349 starts for the star second baseman, and it represented only his ninth missed game since the start of the 2019 season.

The decision was made since Semien is dealing with a compressed nerve in his neck, as he told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News and other reporters yesterday, and the hope is that resting both Wednesday and Thursday (when the Rangers didn’t have a game) will help get Semien back on track.

The injury stems from a collision between Semien and Adolis Garcia while the two were chasing the same fly ball on May 18. Semien has hit only .135/.200/.189 over 40 plate appearances in the nine games since the collision and also made three errors in the field.

As Grant notes, Semien’s career splits indicate that he is generally a better hitter anyway later in the season, though this neck issue adds an unwelcome issue for a Texas club that has struggled to a 27-30 record in its defense of last year’s World Series title.

Speaking of lingering injuries, Nolan Schanuel was a late scratch from the Angels’ lineup Friday due to left thumb soreness. Manager Ron Washington told MLB.com and other media that Schanuel has been bothered by his thumb for an unspecified period of time, which could explain the first baseman’s underwhelming .224/.294/.328 slash line through 206 plate appearances. It has still been less than a year since Schanuel was selected as the 11th overall pick in the 2023 draft, and his 2024 numbers have been a tough follow-up to his solid .275/.402/.330 mark over 132 PA last season, after the Angels fast-tracked him to the majors after just 97 minor league PA.

Lucas Erceg was placed on the Athletics’ 15-day injured list Friday with what officially termed a forearm strain, and manager Mark Kotsay didn’t give reporters, including MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos, a timetable on when the reliever might be ready to return to action. However, it does seem like Erceg’s injury might be of the relatively minor variety, as Kotsay indicated that Erceg might be able to start throwing “sooner than later.” That’s certainly good news considering the ominous nature of forearm injuries, so it seems like Erceg could soon resume set-up duties in front of star rookie closer Mason Miller. Erceg has a 2.86 ERA over 22 relief innings, with a set of impressive Statcast metrics that include a superb 31% strikeout rate and 28% hard-hit ball rate.