Smith went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Thursday's 3-2 loss to Oakland.
Smith was back in the lineup after getting a day off against a left-hander Wednesday. He cracked his 29th double and scored as part of the Rangers' two-run third inning. The extra-base knock extended a hit streak to eight games, during which Smith is 10-for-32 (.313) with a home run, four RBI, two steals and six runs. The 26-year-old utility player is putting the finishing touches on what has been the best season of his three years at the major-league level.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Sitting against lefty
Rotowire
Smith isn't in the Rangers' lineup for Wednesday's game against Oakland.
With left-hander Brady Basso set to start on the bump for the A's, the lefty-hitting Smith will take a seat on the bench Wednesday. While he sits, Jonathan Ornelas will start at shortstop with Matt Duffy covering third base.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Homers in loss
Rotowire
Smith went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 8-4 loss to the Mariners.
Smith singled in the first inning and then tied the game with a two-run blast in the third. The long ball was his first since Aug. 5, but he has now hit safely in five straight contests. On the season, the 27-year-old is hitting .262 with 13 homers, 59 RBI, 64 runs scored and 10 steals across 564 plate appearances.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Picks up 10th steal
Rotowire
Smith went 1-for-4 with a walk, one RBI, a stolen base and one run scored in Tuesday's 13-8 win over the Blue Jays.
Smith's steal was his 10th of the season. He's swiped two of those bags over 14 games in September while batting a poor .208 (11-for-53) for the month. Smith continues to see steady time at shortstop since Corey Seager (hip/sports hernia) was shut down for the year. Smith has a .260/.343/.396 slash line with 12 home runs, 57 RBI and 62 runs scored over 139 contests.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Logs two hits, run in win
Rotowire
Smith started at shortstop and went 2-for-5 with a run scored in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Mariners.
Smith made a sixth consecutive start at shortstop, and the Rangers will now be without Corey Seager (hip, hernia) for the rest of the season. Smith should see the bulk of the time at shortstop to finish off what has been his best year in the majors. He's batting .264/.348/.403 with 12 home runs, 56 RBI, nine steals and 61 runs scored over 136 games.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Swipes bag in win
Rotowire
Smith went 2-for-5 with a double, one RBI, a stolen base and one run scored in Wednesday's 10-6 win over the Yankees.
Smith has hit safely in six of his last seven games, going 8-for-26 (.308) with three RBI in that span. He got a rare look at leadoff with Marcus Semien sitting out Wednesday, though Smith has regularly batted third versus right-handers lately. He should be in line for a strong-side platoon role at shortstop while Corey Seager (hip) is on the injured list. Smith is slashing .268/.354/.413 with 12 home runs, 54 RBI, 57 runs scored and nine steals over 129 contests this season.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Idle versus lefty
Rotowire
Smith isn't in the Rangers' lineup for Tuesday's game against the White Sox.
With southpaw Garrett Crochet slated to take the mound for Chicago, the lefty-hitting Smith will begin Tuesday's contest on the bench. His absence will allow Robbie Grossman to serve as the Rangers' designated hitter and bat third.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Back in lineup
Rotowire
Smith started at third base and went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Sunday's 6-5 extra-inning win over Minnesota.
Smith, who was given a break Saturday after starting eight games in seven days, was back in the lineup and stole his eighth base. A strong first half put him on fantasy radars, but a .202/.264/.294 line since the All-Star break is more in line with Smith's production from previous seasons.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Moves to leadoff
Rotowire
Smith hit leadoff and started at third base in Monday's 6-3 win over St. Louis, going 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Smith was in the field at third base even though Josh Jung was activated off the 60-day injured list Monday. While that was surprising, so was Smith's slotting in the leadoff spot while Marcus Semien was dropped to third in the order. Texas manager Bruce Bochy told Kennedi Landry of MLB.com that the tweaked batting order was in relation to Jung's return. It's unclear if more tweaks are expected once Jung is in the starting lineup, or if the changes will be reflected against both right-handed and left-handed starters.
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Rangers' Josh Smith: Pokes homer in loss
Rotowire
Smith went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Sunday's 7-3 loss to the Blue Jays.
Smith launched a two-run shot in the eighth inning, his 11th of the season. With news that third baseman Josh Jung (wrist) is progressing well on a rehab assignment, Smith will soon find a new home in the Rangers' lineup, likely as the primary designated hitter.
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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: 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: 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: 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: 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: Stays at shortstop
Rotowire
Smith started at shortstop and went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Dodgers.
Smith made another start at shortstop, as the Rangers are being careful with Corey Seager (hamstring). Seager had returned to action Wednesday, serving as the DH, and was originally in Thursday's starting lineup at DH before being scratched. Smith continued to be a surprising contributor for the Rangers; he's gone 19-for-53 (.358) with six extra-base hits, two steals, four RBI and 10 runs scored over the last 15 games.
