Texas Rangers Mitch Moreland to miss three months after ankle injury
By Bryan Rose
The Texas Rangers are probably wishing they would have thrown a little extra money at free agent first baseman Kendrys Morales right now as they’ve learned current first baseman, Mitch Moreland, will likely miss the next three months after suffering an ankle injury.
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Morales, who had been courted by the Rangers for months eventually signed with the Minnesota Twins on Saturday afternoon, just hours before the Rangers learned of Morales’ injury for which he’ll undergo surgery in the coming days.
“Rangers Mitch Moreland will have surgery on left ankle,” says ESPN’s Richard Durrett. “Likely to miss 3 months.”
While Moreland wasn’t exactly putting up All-Star numbers, he was a serviceable replacement for Prince Fielder, who the Rangers already lost for the year last month after their big offseason acquisition underwent season ending neck surgery.
How the season plays out for the Rangers will likely determine if Moreland even returns at all this year but in the meantime the Rangers will need to scramble to find a replacement.
The most likely player to fall in line will be Donnie Murphy, who’ll most likely fill the vacted spot initially until the Rangers find a better alternative. It’s possible Texas could look into their minor league system or if the team can start putting some wins on the board, they could hit the trade market to see what’s available.