Rangers' Semien still hopes to play again this season after foot injury

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Marcus Semien is still hopeful of playing again this season for the playoff-chasing Texas Rangers, even though the second baseman is only three weeks removed from fouling off a pitch that left him with a broken bone and sprained ligament in his left foot.

Semien is no longer wearing a protective boot on his foot, and he said Wednesday that he has been walking on an in-pool treadmill. The 34-year-old said he has been able to move around without limping while doing lower-body work to get his legs back in shape after his extended time of inactivity.

"Preparing to just get moving again. Talking to the doctors, in a perfect world, I think six weeks is what you probably need. But right now with where we're at, just trying to push it," Semien said. "I think once we get to this road trip and get through some checkpoints, come back home and see how we see how running looks, and go from there."

Texas played the finale of a three-game series at home Wednesday against Milwaukee, which has the best record in the majors. The Rangers, who started the day 2 1/2 games behind AL West-leading Houston and 1 1/2 games behind the final wild-card spot, open a three-game series at the New York Mets on Friday before three games at the Astros next week.

The Rangers then return for their final homestand, starting Sept. 19 against Miami. At that point, four weeks after Semien got hurt, there will be only nine games left in the regular season.

"At four weeks, there's still some risk. But, you know, I'm willing to see what I can do and see if there's a realistic chance of me getting back on the field," he said. "Regardless, I will work as hard as I can to get back as quick as I can. But the team's playing great, it's been fun to watch. A lot of energy out there and I want to be a part of that."

Semien fouled a pitch off his foot on Aug. 20 at Kansas City and went on the 10-day injured list two days later. It is only the second time in his 13 big league seasons to go on the IL.

Before the injury, Semien had missed only six of the Rangers' 615 games since joining them before the 2022 season on a $175 million, seven-year contract. He has hit .230 with 15 homers, 62 RBIs and 62 runs in 127 games this year.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB