The Texas Rangers lost two of their stars to injury, as outfielder Adolis García and right-hander Max Scherzer have been taken off the World Series roster, the team announced ahead of Game 4.
García was replaced by utility player Ezequiel Duran, while Scherzer's spot was taken by left-hander Brock Burke. Major League Baseball approved the moves in consultation with its medical director.
The decision to replace García and Scherzer means that both players are ineligible to return to the series even if their health improves.
"I hurt personally for them," general manager Chris Young said, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
García was removed in the eighth inning of Game 3 after suffering a left oblique strain on a swing. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy described the strain as moderate.
"That's never a good thing, to be honest," Bochy said during his pregame press conference about an hour before the roster moves were made.
The 30-year-old García was enjoying a breakout postseason, hitting .323/.381/.726 with eight homers and a single playoff-record 22 RBIs. He earned ALCS MVP honors by hitting five home runs in the Rangers' seven-game win over the Houston Astros and crushed a walk-off homer to win Game 1 of the World Series.
Travis Jankowski replaced García in the lineup for Game 4, batting ninth and playing right field.
Scherzer, meanwhile, was lifted after three innings in Game 3 because of back spasms. He said postgame that he's experienced the spasms before to varying degrees.
"(His back is) pretty locked up," Bochy said about Scherzer on Tuesday, according to Jared Sandler of 105.3 The Fan.
The 39-year-old, acquired from the New York Mets ahead of this year's trade deadline, only made three postseason starts for Texas after battling a shoulder issue near the end of the regular season. He finishes his playoff run with a 6.52 ERA, seven strikeouts, and five walks in 9.2 innings.
Duran, 24, will make his postseason debut if he gets into a World Series game. The Dominican Republic native posted a .768 OPS with 14 homers and 46 RBIs in 122 regular-season games for the Rangers. He's appeared at six different positions during his brief big-league career, including all four infield spots.
Burke posted a 4.37 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 59.2 innings out of the bullpen during the regular season. The 27-year-old allowed two runs in one-third of an inning during his lone playoff appearance against the Baltimore Orioles in the ALDS.
