Smith is not in the lineup for Friday's contest in Toronto.
The left-handed hitting Smith will get the day off as the Blue Jays send southpaw Yusei Kikuchi to the hill. Righty-hitting Jonathan Ornelas will handle third base duties.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Two hits, two RBI in win
Rotowire
Smith went 2-for-4 with two RBI in Wednesday's 10-2 win over the White Sox.
Smith singled in one run then got another home on a sacrifice fly. With news that third baseman Josh Jung (wrist) is set to begin a rehab assignment Friday, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com, the Rangers will soon have to find a home for Smith's bat. The most logical move is to have Smith become the team's primary designated hitter. Texas designated hitters are last in the league in batting average (.197), slugging percentage (.310) and OPS (.573).
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Integral in win
Rotowire
Smith went 2-for-4 with a stolen base, an RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the White Sox.
Smith scored the Rangers' second run when he stole home on a double-steal in the first inning. It was his sixth steal in seven attempts. The infielder later gave the team a 3-1 lead in the eighth inning with a run-producing double. That insurance run became important when reliever Josh Sborz permitted a leadoff home run in the next frame. For Smith, the two-hit night halted an 0-for-14 skid since returning from the All-Star break.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Carries Texas to win
Rotowire
Smith went 2-for-4 with two two-run home runs during Sunday's 4-2 win over the Astros.
As a team, the Rangers logged only three hits Sunday. Two of those came off Smith's bat, and each wound up in the stands for the 26-year-old's first career multi-homer game. During his last 11 games, Smith is batting 13-for-40 (.325) with three homers, seven runs scored, eight RBI and a stolen base.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Steal, run scored in win
Rotowire
Smith went 0-for-2 with two walks, a stolen base, a caught stealing and a run scored in Saturday's 2-1 extra-inning win over Houston.
Smith scored the go-ahead run in the 10th inning as the automatic runner and stole his first base in 29 games. The theft was his fifth (in six attempts), a new career high in the majors. Smith was also hit by a pitch for the 15th time this season, most in MLB.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Homers in three-hit game
Rotowire
Smith went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Angels.
Smith has hit safely in his last seven games, going 11-for-30 (.367) in that span. His homer Tuesday, a first-inning blast off Roansy Contreras, was Smith's first long ball since June 23. The 26-year-old is up to eight homers, 36 RBI, 42 runs scored, four stolen bases and a .296/.384/.457 slash line over 86 contests this season. Smith's maintained a strong batting average, but he's a bit lacking in over-the-fence power, though he's managed 19 doubles to lead the Rangers in two-baggers.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Checking back into lineup
Rotowire
Smith (glute) will start at third base and bat third in Sunday's game against the Rays.
Smith had been out of the lineup for the past two days with glute tightness, but he'll be ready to give it a go for the series finale. The 26-year-old will carry a four-game hitting streak into Sunday's contest and is slashing .291/.391/.509 overall wit three home runs, nine RBI and seven runs in his last 15 games.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Out again Saturday
Rotowire
Smith (glute) isn't in the Rangers' lineup for Saturday's game against the Rays.
Smith missed four games in June due to glute tightness, and he'll be missing his second consecutive game Saturday due to the same injury. Jonathan Ornelas will pick up another start at third base and bat ninth while Smith continues to recover.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Dealing with glute tightness
Rotowire
Smith is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Rays due to glute tightness, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
It's the same injury that kept Smith off the field for four games in June, and the hope this time around is that the injury will keep him out of the lineup for just one or two games. Since June 1, the 26-year-old infielder is slashing .319/.407/.511 with four home runs, 12 RBI and an .918 OPS over 94 at-bats.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Taking seat Friday
Rotowire
Smith is out of the lineup for Friday's game against Tampa Bay.
Smith will get a rare day off after making 13 consecutive starts. Jonathan Ornelas will bat ninth and play third base for Friday's series opener. Over his last four games, Smith is 6-for-16 with two runs and two RBI. Per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com, manager Bruce Bochy indicated that Smith felt a bit of discomfort after his last plate appearance Thursday night but didn't offer any specifics on Smith's health.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Moves to leadoff
Rotowire
Smith batted leadoff and went 2-for-4 in Thursday's 3-1 loss to San Diego.
Smith was moved up to leadoff, as a slumping Marcus Semien was given a rare day off. Smith continues to be a surprise and leads the Rangers with a 2.7 WAR. He should continue to see regular work at third base with Josh Jung (wrist) not expected to return until after the All-Star break.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Fills in at shortstop
Rotowire
Smith started at shortstop and went 2-for-5 with an RBI in Sunday's 11-2 win over Baltimore.
Smith got the start at shortstop with Corey Seager (wrist) day-to-day. Seager was hit by a pitch during Saturday's game and, although X-rays came back negative, took a seat for the series finale against the Orioles. The Rangers are off Monday, giving Seager another 24 hours of healing, before a three-game set against the Padres. Once Seager is deemed healthy enough to return to shortstop, Smith will head back to third base, where he will continue to fill in for the injured Josh Jung (wrist), who may be back in the lineup soon, though the team is still evaluating him.
Smith started at third base and went 1-for-3 with an RBI in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Brewers. He was also hit by a pitch.
Smith gave the Rangers an early lead in the top of the first inning, but the offense was silenced for the last eight frames. The HBP was his second in as many games and third over the last five; he leads MLB in that category with 12. It was thought Smith's run at third base might come to end this week, but Josh Jung (wrist) experienced a setback and is not expected to return during the Rangers' road trip that ends Sunday in Baltimore.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Goes yard again
Rotowire
Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Sunday's 4-0 win over Kansas City.
Smith tagged Sam Long for a solo shot in the seventh inning, marking Smith's third home run in the last five games. During that stretch, he's 7-for-13 with six RBI. With third baseman Josh Jung (wrist) nearing a return, Smith could shift away from the hot corner and into the DH slot.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Back at third base for now
Rotowire
Smith started at third base and went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 6-0 win over Kansas City.
Smith made a second consecutive start in the field after serving as a designated hitter for a pair of games. He had been dealing with a hamstring injury that forced him to miss four games before returning as the DH. Now that he's back in the field, the question becomes how long he will be there. Third baseman Josh Jung (wrist) rejoined the team Friday and will take live batting practice Tuesday. If all goes well, Jung could be activated off the 60-day injured list afterward. The Rangers would like to keep Smith's bat in the lineup; he's batting .304/.393/.469 over a career-high 259 plate appearances. The lefty hitter could serve as the primary DH; he owns an .857 OPS against lefties and an .863 OPS against righties this season.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Remains at DH
Rotowire
Smith started at designated hitter and went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Mets.
Smith returned from a hamstring injury Tuesday but has been limited to DH duties in both games, and he's still made an impact with his bat. In the bottom of the sixth inning Wednesday, he doubled in a run then scored a game-tying run. Smith is 3-for-7 with a home run, a double, four RBI and an additional run scored in the two games at DH.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Makes impact in return
Rotowire
Smith served as the designated hitter and went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Tuesday's 7-6 loss to the Mets.
Smith returned to the starting lineup Tuesday after battling a hamstring issue since late last week. He was given a soft re-entry as the DH and could return to his normal duties as the fill-in third baseman for the injured Josh Jung (wrist). The surprisingly productive Smith has been a boon to the Rangers' offense which has missed Jung's bat. Smith is batting .298/.386/.451 with five homers, 16 doubles, one triple, 28 RBI and 34 runs scored over 249 plate appearances.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Back in lineup
Rotowire
Smith (hamstring) is batting third as the designated hitter Tuesday against the Mets.
Smith missed four straight games with tightness in his upper hamstring but will rejoin the lineup Tuesday. While he's healthy enough to play, the Rangers are opting to ease Smith into action in a non-defensive capacity, giving him his first start at DH this season.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Sitting again, viewed as day-to-day
Rotowire
Smith is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets while he continues to recover from what he described as "lower glute/upper hamstring" tightness, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy had previously said that Smith was dealing with general tightness, but the 26-year-old provided more specifics about the nature of his injury. Though Smith is on the bench Monday for a fourth straight game, he said he's improving every day and expects to rejoin the lineup within the next few days. Ezequiel Duran will spell Smith at third base Monday.
