Michael Young Injury Could Be Fatal Blow for Rangers

Michael Young's superlative season has helped keep the Rangers in the thick of the playoff race, so this news out of Dallas on Wednesday afternoon must be greeted with gritted teeth. General manager Jon Daniels announced that Young will miss at least the next two weeks after an MRI revealed a left hamstring strain.

The news comes at a brutal moment for the Rangers. They enter Wednesday night's game 3 1/2 games behind the Red Sox in the wild-card race and 4 1/2 games behind the Angels after sweeping the Blue Jays in a Tuesday doubleheader. Making up the remaining distance without Young in the lineup, however, will be very tough.

Young will have blood platelets injected into his leg to try and speed up healing, but the two week scenario still means he'll miss 13 of the final 30 Rangers games of the season. Even a 8-5 record in those games won't help them unless the Sox and Halos go into the tank, which isn't exactly doubling down on 11 when it comes to smart bets to make.

Omar Vizquel and Chris Davis are the likeliest bets to fill in while Young is on the shelf. Combined they might make an intriguing substitute, but Vizquel lacks Young's power at the plate and Davis has neither the glove nor the plate discipline to make for a sensible everyday alternative at the hot corner.

If you had to choose one of those options, going with the glove and the on-base percentage might be the smarter play. Contrary to past seasons, the Rangers are relying on pitching to win games this season, so giving them a substandard glove at third might do more harm than anything Davis can do at the plate. Davis will see at-bats at first and DH, so his bat wouldn't disappear, and the Rangers might be able to find a way to stay afloat until Young returns.