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Texas Rangers center fielder Evan Carter could miss the remainder of the season after suffering a fractured wrist, manager Bruce Bochy revealed Friday during a radio appearance on 103.5 The Fan. Carter suffered the injury when he was hit by an errant pitch from Kansas City Royals left-hander Daniel Lynch IV during the seventh inning of Texas' loss on Thursday.

The Rangers have not yet placed Carter on the injured list or announced a corresponding move. It stands to reason that Wyatt Langford and/or Alejandro Osuna will see most of the action in center field for the time being.

"We'll get him back, we'll just stay positive on this end as far as his health," Bochy said. "It's been a tough road for him. I feel for the kid. This is a freak injury."

Bochy didn't offer a firm timetable on whether or when Carter may return this season, but it's fair to write that time is running out. The regular season's conclusion is just five weeks away, and players tend to miss more than seven weeks with fractured wrists, according to Baseball Prospectus' database. 

Carter, 23 in a week's time, had hit .247/.336/.392 (113 OPS+) with five home runs and 14 stolen bases in 63 games this season. His contributions had been worth an estimated 2 Wins Above Replacement, according to the estimates housed at Baseball Reference. Carter's overall line doesn't paint an accurate picture of how well he had played since the start of June, overcoming a rough opening stretch by hitting .261/.350/.416 with four of those homers and 11 of those steals.

The Rangers were within four games of the American League West lead as recently as July 28. They've opened August with a 6-13 stretch that has dropped them to 7 ½ back in the division as well as 5 ½ games back in the hunt for the third wild card spot. The Rangers will have a chance to damage a direct competitor beginning Friday when they take on the Cleveland Guardians.