Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien (illness) is back at second base and batting leadoff on Thursday in the Cactus League game against the San Francisco Giants. A stomach bug is going around the Rangers' clubhouse in camp, and the 34-year-old veteran wasn't feeling good enough to play on Wednesday. He's now back in there a day later and is hoping to pick it up offensively with Opening Day just several weeks away. In 12 spring games to this point, Semien has gone 6-for-32 (.188) with two home runs, a triple, three RBI and three runs scored in 34 plate appearances. It was a down year for him at the plate last year, too, by his standards as he slashed .237/.308/.391 with 23 home runs, 74 RBI and eight steals in 159 games. Semien's underlying metrics didn't dip, though, so he's still a strong second base target in fantasy that has been one of the most durable players in the league.
Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien (illness) was scratched from Wednesday's Cactus League lineup against the Cincinnati Reds due to "a little stomach virus," manager Bruce Bochy said. Sam Haggerty is replacing Semien in the starting lineup at second base and will bat seventh. Semien is a bit under the weather but should be fine in a few days. The 34-year-old has gone just 6-for-32 (.188) with two homers, a triple, three RBI and five strikeouts in 12 Cactus League games to this point, but fantasy managers shouldn't read too much into it. Although Semien disappointed fantasy managers in 2024, his underling metrics really didn't waver, giving him plenty of bounce-back potential in a strong Rangers lineup. He's also been one of the most durable players in the game. Semien is ranked as RotoBaller's No. 6 fantasy second baseman.
Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien has been an iron man in his career. In his 12-year major-league career, he has played a full 162 games three times and played at least 155 games an additional five times. Semien played in 162 games in 2023 and 159 games last year. The last time he played fewer than 159 games in a full season was with the A's in 2017, when he played in 85 games due to a wrist injury. Semien is entering his age-34 season, though, and hit .237/.308/.391 in 2024, his worst offensive season since the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. Manager Bruce Bochy said the team has discussed giving Semien some built-in off days and also moving him around in the batting order. Semien's underlying metrics were on par with his recent seasons, so a bounce-back is entirely possible, especially if some more rest days give him more juice for the entire season.
Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run on Saturday afternoon, powering the Rangers to a victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Semien entered this game with a 22-game home run drought. In this span, the 33-year-old held a disappointing .143/.196/.176 slash line with just eight RBI, one stolen base, and a 6:13 BB:K ratio. Through 87 games this season, Semien has yet to find his stride as he sits with a .232/.296/.383 line with 12 home runs and three swiped bags. However, he does hold a .262 xBA, which suggests he could see some positive regression in the second half of the summer. Nonetheless, this prolonged slump does present an intriguing buy-low opportunity for the proven fantasy contributor.
Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien will start the Fourth of July game on Thursday against the visiting San Diego Padres on the bench. This will be Semien's second day off of the season as the Rangers give him a mental day to rest. The 33-year-old All-Star has been in a funk at the plate recently, going just 2-for-36 (.056) with no homers, one RBI, two walks and five strikeouts in his last eight games. The two-time All-Star is having a pretty disappointing 2024 campaign after hitting 29 bombs and driving in 100 runs for the second time in his career in 2023 to help the Rangers to their first-ever World Series championship. So far through 85 games this year, he's hitting .231 (81-for-351) with 11 homers and 45 RBI. Jonathan Ornelas will start at the keystone on Thursday and will hit ninth for Texas against Padres right-hander Michael King.
Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien is taking his first day off of the year and his first since May of 2022 for Wednesday's matinee game against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks. With Semien on the bench, Ezequiel Duran is at the keystone and is batting ninth, while outfielder Travis Jankowski is serving as the designated hitter and batting leadoff against Diamondbacks right-hander Ryne Nelson. Semien isn't hurt, but he's been a little banged up after colliding with teammate Adolis Garcia back on May 18. The 33-year-old will also have the day off during the team's travel day on Thursday before returning to action for Friday's series opener against the Marlins in Miami. Semien is currently slashing .249/.302/.425 with nine homers and 34 RBI in 233 at-bats. Jankowski will have some DFS sleeper appeal in the leadoff spot for Texas.
Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien collected a season-high five RBI in Tuesday's 15-8 win over the division-rival Oakland Athletics, also smacking a solo home run in the victory. It was a massive day at the plate for Semien, who went 4-for-5 with an RBI single plus a two-run double as part of a 10-run blitz in the second frame by the Rangers, and he added another run-scoring single in the fourth for good measure. The 33-year-old All-Star infielder is now slashing a solid .266/.314/.449 with six homers, nine doubles, 27 RBI, and 27 runs scored in 158 at-bats as Texas' everyday leadoff man. Before a tasty three-game weekend set against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field begins on Friday, Semien gets two more cracks at his former Athletics team in Wednesday's doubleheader. In 18 games versus Oakland since 2023, Semien is batting .329 with four long balls, 15 RBI, and three stolen bases.
Marcus Semien Finishes Triple Short Of Cycle On Thursday
Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien had a great day at the dish on Thursday, leading the team to a 9-7 win over the Detroit Tigers. Semien went 3-for-6 with a homer and a double while scoring a pair of runs and knocking in one. With the big performance, the 33-year-old bumps up his slash line to .286/.355/.464 on the season. He also has 16 runs scored, three homers, 17 RBI, and a stolen base. While the counting numbers are great, his power and speed have left a little to be desired so far, but those should pick up as the season goes on.
Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien had himself a day in Friday's 10-2 blowout win over the division-rival Houston Astros, getting a hit in all three of his at-bats and bashing a three-run home run during the sixth inning. Semien smacked one 395 feet to deep left center to make the score 10-0 and get the rout fully underway. It was the first homer of the campaign for the 33-year-old fantasy stalwart, who is now slashing .333/.471/.481 with eight RBI and six runs scored across 27 ABs thus far in 2024. Hitting atop one of the most dynamic offenses in baseball, Semien has led MLB in plate appearances in three of the past four years and should serve as head-to-head gem in all fantasy formats. Dating back to 2023, Semien is batting .393 with four bombs, nine RBI, and 14 runs scored in his last 14 games against the Astros and gets Houston three more times this series.
Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien collected two hits, both singles, and an RBI in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Rays. It was Semien's third multi-hit performance in six games, however, he went hitless in the other three games. The 33-year-old is now 6-for-24 (.250) on the young season, with five RBI, three runs scored, and a 5:3 BB:K. The 2x All-Star is still searching for his first home run of the season, but he does have one extra-base hit (a double) so far. It's still very early, but for what it's worth, Semien has an xBA of .318. Look for him to have fewer hitless performances in the future, and surely that first long ball is not far behind.
Marcus Semien
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Rangers
