García sits again as Rangers look for slugger to make 'mechanical changes' at plate

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Slumping Rangers slugger Adolis García was held out of Texas’ lineup for the third consecutive day Sunday, with president of baseball operations Chris Young saying the club wants the 2023 ALCS MVP to make some mechanical changes.

“We need him to kind of commit to some of these changes that we think will get him back to the ’23 version of himself and help him be the player that we know he can be,” Young said before Texas’ 8-1 win over St. Louis.

The Rangers took two of three games from the Cardinals this weekend with García out. Their struggling offense broke out Friday night in an 11-1 victory, then broke open a tight game Sunday with five eighth-inning runs. It was Texas' first series win since sweeping beleaguered Colorado at home on May 12-14.

García is hitting .155 in the last 20 games with 25 strikeouts. He is hitting .207 overall, with seven homers and a team-high 27 RBIs on a team that has struggled offensively. He ranked 14th in the majors with 122 home runs over the past four seasons.

García, who has started 55 of Texas’ 60 games in right field this season, missed only one other game before this weekend, with manager Bruce Bochy saying Friday that García was being given a mental break.

“It’s about the mental reset and coming back with more energy,” García told reporters Saturday. “I’m working on some stuff without the pressure of having to do something up there.”

García, 32, is in the final year of a two-year contract.

The anticipated return of Evan Carter to the active roster on Tuesday, joining Wyatt Langford, Alejandro Osuna and Sam Haggerty, further crowds the field of Rangers outfield regulars as García tries to return to the lineup.

“It’s going to be performance-driven at this point,” Young said.

Texas also made three roster moves before Sunday’s game. Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (triceps fatigue) was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to last Thursday, catcher Tucker Barnhart was designated for assignment and right-hander Codi Heuer was selected from Triple-A Round Rock.

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