Rangers put first baseman Ronald Guzman on IL with hamstring strain

After sustaining a right hamstring strain, the Rangers have placed first baseman Ronald Guzman on the 10-day injured list, the team announced. To fill his roster spot, the Rangers recalled infielder Patrick Wisdom from Triple A.

The 24-year-old is hitting just .231, though he has shown more reason for optimism with four doubles and two home runs through nine games, good for a .615 slugging percentage. The Rangers are hoping for the big first baseman to improve on his 2018 rookie season, in which he posted a .235/.306/.416 slash line that, while respectable, is rather pedestrian for a corner infielder. 

A power surge from Guzman would be a welcome development for the Rangers, who will also miss Guzman’s defense at first base. It appears that veteran Logan Forsythe will take over as the primary first baseman in Guzman’s absence, with Wisdom assuming a utility infield role off the bench.

Wisdom, 27, was an offseason acquisition from the Cardinals, where he had previously spent his entire career after St. Louis used a first-round pick on Wisdom in the 2012 amateur draft. He made his major-league debut in 2018, playing in 32 games and posting an impressive .260/.362/.520 batting line. Wisdom, who has played third and first in the big leagues, boasts an impressive minor-league track record, including the 2017 season, in which he hit 31 home runs in 127 games — albeit in the notoriously hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. 

Expect to see Wisdom earn himself a spot start here and there while the Rangers await the return of their everyday first baseman.