NOVEMBER 17 • MLB.COM
JOSH SMITH #8 - THIRD BASEMAN - TEXAS RANGERS
13 HR •
62 RBI •
.258 AVG
13 HR
62 RBI
.258 AVG
Silver Slugger caps Smith's transformation This story was excerpted from Kennedi Landry’s Rangers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it reg...
Extends hit streak in loss Smith went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Thursday's 3-2 loss to Oakland.
Impact Smith was back in the lineup after getting a day off against a left-hander Wednesday. He cracked his 29th double and scored as part of the Rangers' two-run third inning. The extra-base knock extended a hit streak to eight games, during which Smith is 10-for-32 (.313) with a home run, four RBI, two steals and six runs. The 26-year-old utility player is putting the finishing touches on what has been the best season of his three years at the major-league level.
SEPTEMBER 27 • ROTOWIRE
Sitting against lefty Smith isn't in the Rangers' lineup for Wednesday's game against Oakland.
Impact With left-hander Brady Basso set to start on the bump for the A's, the lefty-hitting Smith will take a seat on the bench Wednesday. While he sits, Jonathan Ornelas will start at shortstop with Matt Duffy covering third base.
SEPTEMBER 25 • ROTOWIRE
Homers in loss Smith went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 8-4 loss to the Mariners.
Impact Smith singled in the first inning and then tied the game with a two-run blast in the third. The long ball was his first since Aug. 5, and he has now hit safely in five straight contests. On the season, the 27-year-old is hitting .262 with 13 homers, 59 RBI, 64 runs scored and 10 steals across 564 plate appearances.
SEPTEMBER 22 • ROTOWIRE
Picks up 10th steal Smith went 1-for-4 with a walk, one RBI, a stolen base and one run scored in Tuesday's 13-8 win over the Blue Jays.
Impact Smith's steal was his 10th of the season. He's swiped two of those bags over 14 games in September while batting a poor .208 (11-for-53) for the month. Smith continues to see steady time at shortstop since Corey Seager (hip/sports hernia) was shut down for the year. Smith has a .260/.343/.396 slash line with 12 home runs, 57 RBI and 62 runs scored over 139 contests.
SEPTEMBER 18 • ROTOWIRE
Logs two hits, run in win Smith started at shortstop and went 2-for-5 with a run scored in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Mariners.
Impact Smith made a sixth consecutive start at shortstop, as the Rangers will be without Corey Seager (hip, hernia) for the rest of the season. Smith should see the bulk of the time at shortstop to finish off what has been his best year in the majors. He's batting .264/.348/.403 with 12 home runs, 56 RBI, nine steals and 61 runs scored over 136 games.
SEPTEMBER 14 • ROTOWIRE
Swipes bag in win Smith went 2-for-5 with a double, one RBI, a stolen base and one run scored in Wednesday's 10-6 win over the Yankees.
Impact Smith has hit safely in six of his last seven games, going 8-for-26 (.308) with three RBI in that span. The 27-year-old also has a 3:6 BB:K in that span. He got a rare look at leadoff with Marcus Semien sitting out Wednesday, though Smith has regularly batted third versus right-handers lately. He should be in line for a strong-side platoon role at shortstop while Corey Seager (hip) is on the injured list. Smith is slashing .268/.354/.413 with 12 home runs, 54 RBI, 57 runs scored and nine steals over 129 contests this season.
SEPTEMBER 5 • ROTOWIRE
An Olympics-style hurdle to make it safely to first? Yes, that happened! Rangers shortstop Josh Smith may have been just a couple weeks late, but he proved on Tuesday night that he would've fit right into the trac...
SEPTEMBER 4 • MLB.COM
Sitting against southpaw Smith is out of the lineup for Friday's game against Oakland.
Impact Smith will dodge a same-had matchup with JP Sears on Friday, giving way to Robbie Grossman at DH.
AUGUST 30 • ROTOWIRE
Idle versus lefty Smith isn't in the Rangers' lineup for Tuesday's game against the White Sox.
Impact With southpaw Garrett Crochet slated to take the mound for Chicago, the lefty-hitting Smith will begin Tuesday's contest on the bench. His absence will allow Robbie Grossman to serve as the Rangers' designated hitter and bat third.
AUGUST 27 • ROTOWIRE
Heading to bench Sunday Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.
Impact Southpaw Matthew Boyd will draw the start for the Guardians, so the lefty-hitting Smith will hit the bench in favor of the right-handed-hitting Ezequiel Duran, who gets the nod at third base. Smith has endured a rough August thus far, slashing just .203/.247/.278 with four extra-base hits (one home run, three doubles) and one stolen base.
AUGUST 25 • ROTOWIRE
Taking seat Wednesday Smith is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.
Impact It's a day off for Smith, who has tumbled to a .198/.258/.285 batting line since the All-Star break. The Rangers will give Adolis Garcia a start in the designated hitter spot, while Travis Jankowski will patrol right field.
AUGUST 21 • ROTOWIRE
Back in lineup Smith started at third base and went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Sunday's 6-5 extra-inning win over Minnesota.
Impact Smith, who was given a break Saturday after starting eight games in seven days, was back in the lineup and stole his eighth base. A strong first half put him on fantasy radars, but a .202/.264/.294 line since the All-Star break is more in line with Smith's production of previous seasons.
AUGUST 19 • ROTOWIRE
Not starting Saturday Smith is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's contest against the Twins.
Impact Smith will retreat to the dugout after going 0-for-7 with one run scored across the first two games of the series. Carson Kelly will serve as the designated hitter and bat eighth against Twins right-hander David Festa.
AUGUST 17 • ROTOWIRE
Josh Smith on his breakout season | 08/07/2024 Josh Smith joins MLB Now to discuss his strong 2024 campaign and why he is batting better against left-handed pitching
AUGUST 7 • MLB.COM
Watch: Josh Smith, Corey Seager give Texas Rangers win with clutch home runs vs. Astros Seager tied the game with a solo blast in the eighth inning and Smith won the game with a two-run home run in the 10th inning.
AUGUST 6 • DALLASNEWS.COM
Josh Smith's walk-off blast lifts Rangers over Astros in 10 Josh Smith hit a two-run, walk-off homer with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Texas Rangers a dramatic 4-3 victory ove...
AUGUST 6 • SUNHERALD.COM
Josh Smith game-ending HR for Rangers in 4-3 win after Astros go ahead on consecutive hit batters
Josh Smith hit a game-ending two-run homer in the 10th inning to give the Texas Rangers a 4-3 win over the Houston AstrosAUGUST 6 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Smacks walk-off homer Smith went 1-for-5 with a two-run homer in Monday's 4-3 victory over Houston.
Impact The Texas utility man won the game in the 10th inning with his 410-foot, two-run homer off lefty reliever Caleb Ferguson. This is Smith's first extra-base hit since taking over the leadoff spot from Marcus Semien on July 29. In seven games since then, the 26-year-old is batting .233 (7-for-30) with eight strikeouts and no walks. Overall, Smith is now slashing .278/.369/.442 with 12 homers, seven steals, 50 runs scored and 48 RBI across 408 plate appearances.
AUGUST 6 • ROTOWIRE
Tanner Houck strikes out Josh Smith in the 1st | 08/03/2024 The Official Site of Major League Baseball
AUGUST 4 • MLB.COM
Lands at DH Smith served as the designated hitter and went 0-for-4 in Tuesday's 8-1 loss to St. Louis.
Impact Smith moved to DH as the Rangers welcomed back third baseman Josh Jung after a long recovery from a wrist injury. Smith made the most of his opportunity filling in at third while Jung was unavailable, and manager Bruce Bochy is expected to now use Smith as the team's primary DH.
JULY 31 • ROTOWIRE
Lands at DH Smith served as the designated hitter and went 0-for-4 in Tuesday's 8-1 loss to St. Louis.
Impact Smith moved to DH as the Rangers welcomed back third baseman Josh Jung after a long recovery from a wrist injury. Smith made the most of his opportunity filling in at third while Jung was unavailable, and manager Bruce Bochy is expected to use him as the team's primary DH.
JULY 31 • ROTOWIRE
Moves to leadoff Smith hit leadoff and started at third base in Monday's 6-3 win over St. Louis, going 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Impact Smith was in the field at third base even though Josh Jung was activated off the 60-day injured list Monday. While that was surprising, so was Smith's slotting in the leadoff spot while Marcus Semien was dropped to third in the order. Texas manager Bruce Bochy told Kennedi Landry of MLB.com that the tweaked batting order was in relation to Jung's return. It's unclear if more tweaks are expected once Jung is in the starting lineup, or if the changes will be reflected against both right-handed and left-handed starters.
JULY 30 • ROTOWIRE
Moves to leadoff Smith started at third base, batted leadoff and went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Monday's 6-3 win over the Cardinals.
Impact Smith was in the field at third base even though Josh Jung was activated off the 60-day injured list Monday. While that was surprising, so was Smith batting leadoff while Marcus Semien was dropped to third in the order. Texas manager Bruce Bochy told Kennedi Landry of MLB.com that the tweaked batting order was in relation to Jung's return. It's unclear if more tweaks are expected once Jung is in the starting lineup, or if the changes are for both right-handed and left-handed starters.
JULY 30 • ROTOWIRE
Pokes homer in loss Smith went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Sunday's 7-3 loss to the Blue Jays.
Impact Smith launched a two-run shot in the eighth inning, his 11th of the season. With news that third baseman Josh Jung (wrist) is progressing well on a rehab assignment, Smith will soon find a new home in the Rangers' lineup, likely as the primary designated hitter.
JULY 29 • ROTOWIRE
