Carter heading to Express on 21st birthday

How’s that for a birthday present? Top Rangers prospect Evan Carter -- who turns 21 on Tuesday -- is being promoted to Triple-A Round Rock on his birthday, the club announced.

MLB Pipeline’s No. 8 overall prospect, Carter has hit .284/.411/.451 with 12 homers in 97 games with Double-A Frisco this season.

Since coming off the injured list from a nagging hand injury on June 21, Carter has hit .290/.417/.500 with a .917 OPS in 56 games. He admitted the hand injury -- which he suffered after being hit by a pitch in May -- affected him more than he realized and he could have used the break a little sooner.

The Rangers’ second-round pick in the 2020 Draft, Carter has had a long journey from being a Elizabethton, Tenn., high schooler. He was not listed on MLB Pipeline's Top 200 Prospects or Baseball America’s Top 500 entering the Draft. The pick was widely criticized by much of the baseball community.

The outfielder has continued to prove the doubters wrong ever since.

Carter was the Rangers' Minor League Player of the Year in 2022, slashing .295/.397/.489 with 21 doubles, 10 triples, 12 home runs, 28 steals and 73 RBIs between High-A Hickory and Double-A Frisco. He also won a Minor League Gold Glove Award in center field.