Evan Carter has hip surgery, will miss Opening Day

The winter had barely started before the Rangers got bad news on one of their most talented young players. The beat broke it plainly:

Evan Grant

@Evan_P_Grant

Evan Carter is not going to be ready for the start of the season. Had hip labrum surgery.

Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young gave the details. The procedure was arthroscopic, on Carter's right hip, and it fixed a labral injury and a hip impingement. Young didn't give a return date. He only said Carter won't be ready to start the year, so for now nobody knows if this costs him a couple of weeks of April or a lot more.

The frustrating thing is how familiar this is. Carter showed up as a September call-up in 2023, hit right away and became a key part of the Rangers' World Series run as a kid. That should have made him a lineup fixture for years. Instead his body hasn't let him play a full season since. In 2024 back trouble ended his year early. In 2025 a quad strain sent him back to the injured list. Now, at 24, he's having surgery before he's even had a normal big-league season.

Hip labrum repairs are not quick fixes either. A ballplayer has to rebuild strength and range of motion, then get his swing and his legs back, and a team that has watched Carter break down repeatedly has every reason to be careful with the ramp-up. Texas will probably plan its outfield as if he isn't there in March and treat anything he gives them early as a bonus.

For fantasy players, his draft price drops before most leagues have even scheduled their drafts. Carter's bat and speed still make him a buy-low option in deeper formats. But a guy who has spent big parts of 3 straight years hurt and is now coming off hip surgery is someone you take late, not someone you build around.

What to watch next is spring training. Track whether Carter is hitting and running in Surprise or still doing rehab work on a back field. Also watch whether the Rangers add outfield depth this winter, because that would tell you how long they actually expect him to be out.