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Texas Rangers first baseman/outfielder Ronald Guzman will have surgery to repair the torn meniscus on his right knee next week. As a result, he will miss the remainder of the 2021 season.
The Rangers also announced today that catcher Sam Huff, currently on the injured list due to a hamstring strain suffered in spring training, will undergo arthroscopic surgery to address loose bodies in his right knee. Huff be able to start DHing in 8 weeks, per the beats, but no timeline on when he can resume catching.
The Guzman news is not entirely unexpected — he injured his right knee on the turf in Tampa when he veered away from Isiah Kiner-Falefa while coming in on a pop up to shallow left field. The non-contact nature of the injury, and the way he went down, prompted fears it was an ACL tear. The initial diagnosis of a meniscus tear was relatively good news, but it still meant Guzman would miss significant time, and surgery was always a possibility.
Guzman will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason, and given that he is out of options, and his 40 man roster spot has been tenuous at times, it seems likely he could end up hitting the waiver wire after the season, or else be non-tendered in early December.
As for Huff, this is particularly disappointing news on the heels of his being sidelined for much of spring training. While Jose Trevino and Jonah Heim have done a respectable job so far this season behind the plate for the Rangers, Huff is considered the team’s top catching prospect, and one of the team’s best prospects, period. The hope was that he would be able to get significant at bats this year in the upper minors, as well as regular reps behind the plate, and possibly earn a spot on the major league roster at some point in 2021. That is looking increasingly unlikely.
Huff is on the 10 day injured list currently, and given the amount of time he will miss, the Rangers could move him to the 60 day injured list should they need to open up a 40 man roster spot.