An injury diagnosis has revealed that Texas Rangers infielder Marcus Semien is dealing with a broken bone and a ligament issue in his left foot, potentially sidelining him for a period between a month and six weeks. This recovery time could put an end to his participation this season, unless the Rangers make a significant playoff push into October.
Semien’s placement on the injured list this past Saturday marks just the second time in his extensive 13-year playing career that he’s been sidelined. The injury occurred during Thursday’s game against Kansas City, a 6-4 defeat, when he made contact with a pitch off his left foot during the opening inning.
During a press conference on Sunday, Semien informed reporters about the specifics of the injury, including a fracture of the third metatarsal bone in his foot and a sprain affecting the Lisfranc ligament.
“My hope is that we will get back into contention, and we’ll assess the situation at that point,” Semien commented, as reported by MLB.com. “For the immediate future, I will be observing from the sidelines. The primary concern revolves around the Lisfranc ligament, and our priority is to protect it by avoiding any weight-bearing activities. A tear in that ligament could result in a year-long recovery. So, my focus is on safeguarding it and allowing the fracture to heal properly.”
As of Sunday night’s games, the Rangers were trailing the Seattle Mariners by 4.5 games in the race for the final wild-card position in the American League. In the AL West standings, they were 6.5 games behind the Houston Astros.
Semien’s previous stint on the injured list was during his time with the Athletics in the early part of the 2017 season, when he was out for nearly three months due to a right wrist injury. Prior to this foot injury, Semien had been remarkably consistent, missing only six of the Rangers’ 615 games since joining the team ahead of the 2022 season, a move that involved a $175 million contract spanning seven years.
“This is a relatively new experience for me,” Semien admitted. “It’s been quite a while since I’ve been on the IL. However, it appears that I’ll be out for a considerable period. Therefore, I believe my role will be to watch the games and contribute in any way I can to support my teammates.”
Semien, aged 34, has posted a batting average of .230 this season, with 15 home runs, 62 RBIs, and a team-leading 62 runs scored. Since joining the Texas club, he has led the team in games played (609), hits (610), triples (12), walks (239), runs scored (386), and total bases (1027).
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
