Hip Surgery Sends Rangers Outfielder Evan Carter To Six-Month Recovery

Texas Rangers center fielder Evan Carter underwent surgery on his right hip last week and is not expected to be ready for the opening of next season. Chris Young, the team’s president of baseball operations, announced the procedure on Monday. Dr. William Robertson performed the arthroscopic surgery to address a labral issue and hip impingement.

Young stated that the injury likely affected Carter’s performance throughout the 2026 campaign. Carter appeared in 141 games and handled all 112 defensive starts in center field. He finished the season with a .194 batting average, nine home runs, 40 runs batted in, and 17 stolen bases. The team anticipates a recovery period of approximately six months, though they expect Carter to play a majority of the following year.

The timeline introduces uncertainty because the current five-year labor contract expires on December 1. A potential lockout could disrupt spring training and the scheduled start of the 2027 season on March 24. Young noted that Carter’s exit physical suggested the discomfort was muscular. After the soreness persisted into the offseason, further diagnostic testing led two specialists to recommend the operation.

"I do believe in light of what we’ve learned in this diagnosis for Evan, that it probably impacted him to some degree over the course of the season. It is impressive, his ability to play through this," Young said. "I think it’s safe to say, given the extent of the surgery, that there was something in there."

Carter reached the majors in 2023, playing in 23 games for the Rangers’ World Series championship team. He hit .306 with five home runs during that stretch. Since then, injuries have limited his availability. He played only 108 of a possible 324 games in the last two seasons. A lower back injury caused him to miss most of 2024, while three separate stints on the injured list in 2025 resulted from a quadriceps strain, back spasms, and a fractured wrist.

In his career, Carter has hit .215 with 24 home runs and 92 runs batted in across 272 major league games. Young described the next offseason as a period for rehabbing rather than training. "Our doctors anticipate that he will make a full recovery," Young added. "But it’s going to be an offseason of rehabbing versus an offseason of training for next season."

Ezequiel Duran, a Gold Glove winner for utility players, started 14 games in center field last season. Wyatt Langford, the primary left fielder, made 13 such starts. Young indicated the Rangers have not finalized a plan to cover the position without Carter. Coaching changes are also underway, as Alex Cintron will step back from his full-time role as assistant hitting coach and Dave Bush will not return as an assistant pitching coach.