Thursday, September 17

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SEATTLE -- Rangers manager Skip Schumaker has referred to Wyatt Langford as an “aircraft carrier.”

Aircraft carriers are players who can carry a team to success. Corey Seager is one of them. Schumaker believes Langford is another. 

The 24-year-old outfielder has had stretches where he’s shown the ability to be exactly that. There have also been stretches -- like this current 30-game skid -- where he looks like the opposite. Langford is slashing .194/.362/.320 in his last 30 games.

“I just haven't been playing good,” Langford said on Wednesday night after the Rangers’ loss to the Mariners. “Having bad at-bats. I'm walking a little bit more, which has been good, because I was struggling. Being able to just get on base is better. But I've been pretty, pretty terrible lately. Haven't felt great.”

Langford is batting 4-for-44 (.091) over his last 13 games dating back to Aug. 28, though he has 11 walks in that span. His 16th homer of the season on Tuesday in Seattle snapped a 12-game drought. 

“The guy's out here early hitting every day, and you're just waiting for him to get going again because you know he's working so hard,” Schumaker said on Tuesday. “He's earned that [homer]. He doesn't just show up and hope things happen. He really does work, and for him to finally get a big hit, I mean, he needed it. We needed it. He's definitely been grinding. There's no doubt about it.”

Unfortunately, much like the Rangers’ other aircraft carrier in Seager, injuries have often gotten in the way of Langford’s ability to go on a big run. 

Following a trio of oblique injuries in 2025, he’s had a pair of IL stints this season with a hamstring strain and a forearm strain. 

In his first 40 games this season -- leading up to his second IL stint -- Langford slashed .278/.324/.500. In 55 games since his return, he’s slashed .211/.335/.382.

“I think injuries have had a lot to do with it,” Schumaker said. “He's probably not going to tell you that, but I think that part of it is real. It's always hard to come back from injuries. So I think that has affected the overall numbers. I still want him in these [big] situations. Righties, lefties, just doesn't matter. … As for the overall numbers, I think you know health is a big part of the reason why there’s been some ups and downs.”

Langford isn’t one for excuses, though. 

“I’m fully healthy,” Langford said. “I’m just playing bad.”

A healthy Langford is necessary for the Rangers' success. If he can find his footing at the plate over these last two weeks, he can absolutely be the type of aircraft carrier that Schumaker thinks he can be.

“I think he's doing whatever he can to help the team win,” Schumaker said. “He feels like he's not compromising the team health-wise. [Tuesday] showed that he's absolutely capable of still being the guy that you know, we all know, who he is.”

Rangers third baseman Josh Jung, who has been sidelined with a calf strain since July 25, began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock this week. 

He DH’ed the first two games and played at third on Thursday, hitting a homer. He's scheduled for another game at third on Friday before the club makes a decision on activation this weekend when the Rangers are in Arizona.  

“He's had a really good year, so I think we're looking forward to him being active soon,” Schumaker said.  “I think there's a chance that there's a lefty starter in Arizona, and then multiple the next series based on what the projections look like. Obviously he's been really, really good against lefties. He's been good against righties too. But having his bat is what we're looking forward to seeing. He's an .800 OPS guy that we've missed. So getting his bat going and him feeling good at the plate is obviously what we're looking to see.”

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