It didn’t take long for Josh Smith to be unbanished from the minor leagues. All it took were injuries to Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford to open a space for him. Mainly, they had nobody else to bring up.

Being optioned was a wake up call for Smith. It happened four years ago, in August of 2022. Then in June, after coming off the I.L.

His mantra now is: “Play better.” He recognizes he wasn’t producing and has dedicated himself to playing better. 

He wasn’t playing better when he was sent down. He was batting .218 with just six RBIs. Six doesn’t sound like much, but this is a guy who drove in just 34 runs last year, playing the entire season. Smith isn’t an RBI guy. 

Since coming back, Smith is hitting .333. Sure, it’s a small sample size. But .333 is better than .218. So, at least, so far, he is living up to his mantra. He is playing better. 

Now, can he keep it up? Smith was a spark plug last year, and has been a valuable piece of the offense—except the driving in runs part.

He’s going to get a chance to play all over the field now with both Langford and Seager out. Let’s hope he can practice what he preaches. Let’s hope he plays better.

The Rangers need better from everyone.

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