White to i.l. with wrist fracture, Leody up

The Texas Rangers have placed outfielder Eli White on the injured list due to a fractured right wrist, the team announced today. To replace him on the active roster, the Rangers have recalled Leody Taveras from AAA Round Rock.

Very disappointing news for White, though not unexpected. White and Charlie Culberson collided in the outfield in the 11th inning on Sunday while pursuing a fly ball, and it seemed pretty clear that White thought he had broken something. Per Evan Grant, White will have no baseball activities for six weeks, which would mean he would be resuming baseball activities in late July, and possibly being able to return in late August or sometime in September.

As for Leody...well, we expected to see him sometime this season, and it is just unfortunate that it is under these circumstances. Leody floundered offensively in 2021 in the big leagues, slashing .161/.207/.270 between his two stints in the majors. He is hitting .294/.335/.485 in 221 plate appearances for Round Rock this year. The 23 year old started the year for Round Rock red hot, cooled down dramatically, and had started hitting well again before this call up, slashing .314/.400/.486 in 40 plate appearances over nine games in June.

Leody is a great defensive centerfielder and an asset on the basepaths. The question is whether he will hit. He will now get an extended opportunity to show that he can handle major league pitching, as I anticiapte Leody will be getting the majority of the starts in center field for the time being.