ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien got a day off for the first time in more than two years Wednesday when he wasn’t in the lineup against the Arizona Diamondbacks, ending his streak of 349 games started.
Manager Bruce Bochy said Semien had been sore since a collision in the outfield with right fielder Adolis Garcia on May 18. The second baseman had played in all eight games since then, and was in a 1-for-20 slide the past five games.
“He’s been playing banged up. That’s a pretty good collision out there in right field, and he knows it’s time to try to get this thing cleared up, freshen up a little bit,” Bochy said. “This will get him a couple days.”
The Rangers have a day off Thursday before opening a weekend series in Miami. Bochy said he wouldn’t use Semien as a pinch hitter or in any capacity Wednesday against the Diamondbacks.
“He doesn’t need to bring his spikes out here,” Bochy said. “I don’t want him swinging. I want him to take a complete day off.”
Semien was running out and García was coming in on a popup to shallow right field in the sixth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels. Semien collided into García, who had pulled up and gone down to a knee to get the ball after it dropped to the ground. Semien took a hard tumble, though both players stayed in and finished the Rangers’ 3-2 win in 13 innings.
García was scratched from the starting lineup the next day because of right forearm soreness.
Bochy said Wednesday that Semien got hit in the head and neck area in that collision, and was still having stiffness in his upper back. Semien is hitting .249 with nine homers and 34 RBIs in 55 games this season.
Travis Jankowski was in the leadoff spot for the Rangers as the designated hitter against Arizona. Ezequiel Duran was at second base batting ninth.
Semien had been in the Rangers’ starting lineup every game since May 13, 2022, which was during his first season with Texas after signing a $175 million, seven-year contract in free agency. His 349 consecutive games is the third-longest streak in franchise history.
It was the first time since Bochy became the Rangers manager before the 2023 season that Semien wasn’t at the top of his lineup. The second baseman had been in the leadoff spot for Bochy in 234 consecutive games, 217 in the regular season and 17 last postseason on way to their first World Series championship.
“It was mutual. We talked,” Bochy said. “Now we’ve had conversations the last two or three days, Marcus was being Marcus then, but he agrees that it’s a good time to take a day.”