Rangers outfielder Carlos Gomez expected to miss 4-6 weeks

Just as the Texas Rangers are getting on track, outfielder Carlos Gomez is going to miss some time.

After a slow start this season, the Texas Rangers won their sixth game in a row on Sunday. But center fielder Carlos Gomez left the game with a strained right hamstring, after going 3-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to four games.

Gomez was set to an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of his injury, and the news was not great.

According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, Gomez will be placed on the disabled list on Tuesday and he is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. Rangers executive vice president John Blake also confirmed the news.

In a corresponding move the Rangers are expected to call up outfielder Jared Hoying from Triple-A Round Rock, who according to Grant has an out clause in his minor league contract he could have exercised on Monday. The soon-to-be 28-year old (May 18) is hitting .242/.336/.477 with seven home runs and 23 RBI so far thus year in Triple-A. Over 39 games with the Rangers last season, in his first and only major league action to this point, Hoying hit .217 with five RBI (46 at-bats).

Gomez will hit the disabled list with a .246/.331/.423 slash-line, four home runs, 13 RBI, 19 runs scored and five stolen bases in 38 games (142 at-bats) this season. A 7-for-14 run over the last four games was a sign of better things to come, but an absence of a month or more is an obvious setback.

Next: Best all-time player for each MLB team

Hoying has been a career minor leaguer, and the only obvious reason he’s being called up to replace Gomez is his experience playing center field. With Shin-Soo Choo (back) also a little banged up, but not expected to be placed on the disabled list, the Rangers can use some healthy bodies in the outfield.