Evan Carter has such a calmness about him at barely 21 years old, and less than a month after his Rangers debut, that Texas Manager Bruce Bochy wonders if the kid even realizes he’s in the big leagues.

Plus, the speedy outfielder just keeps getting on base.

“Just love the way he’s handling himself through all this,” Bochy said.

Carter certainly hasn’t been overwhelmed since jumping into the playoff chase. Called up as an injury fill-in, he hit .306 with five homers in 23 games down the stretch for the Rangers, then reached base in seven of his eight plate appearances during the AL Wild Card Series, when they swept Tampa Bay to advance in the postseason for the first time since 2011.

“I wouldn’t say it was easy,” Carter said with a wide smile, even though that is exactly how he has made it look. “There’s a lot of work and preparation and stuff … older people on the team with a lot of experience, picking their brains, and the coaching staff.”

Texas plays Game 1 of its AL Division Series on Saturday at 101-win Baltimore.

The only player to reach base more in any two-game postseason span at age 21 or younger was Freddie Lindstrom eight times for the New York Giants in the 1924 World Series. Carter matched Dylan Carlson’s seven for St. Louis in the NL Wild Card Series in 2020.

Batting ninth in a Rangers order with five All-Stars, Carter reached the first six times he went to the plate in Tampa Bay, becoming only the second player to do that in his first postseason. Jorge Soler got on his first nine plate appearances for the Chicago Cubs in the 2015 NL Division Series.

Even before Carter’s first at-bat, he had an impact for Texas in Game 1. He sprinted 59 feet for a diving catch in left field to end the first inning with a runner on base.

The Rangers called up Carter for his big league debut on Sept. 8, after he had played only eight Triple-A games and 10 days after his 21st birthday. They had just put All-Star slugger and then-AL RBI leader Adolis García on the injured list.

General Manager Chris Young said then that the Rangers were optimistic Carter could help now and in the future.

Well, Carter singled in his first big league at-bat and became the first player in the expansion era (since 1961) with a hit, walk, stolen base and outfield assist in his MLB debut. His on-base streak of 16 games was the longest to open a career in franchise history.

In the Wild Card Series, Carter hit a first-pitch homer, doubled twice and had three walks on full counts. He got hit by an 81-mph sweeper on the ninth pitch of his final at-bat after fouling off four two-strike pitches.

“We joke around and say he’s our little savior,” said fellow rookie Josh Jung, the AL’s starting third baseman in this year’s All-Star Game who had three extra-base hits Wednesday.

ASTROS: Justin Verlander will start Game 1 of the AL Division Series against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday.

It will be the 35th career postseason start for Verlander, who returned to the AL West champion Astros in a trade from the New York Mets this summer.

Manager Dusty Baker also said that left-hander Framber Valdez would start Game 2 Sunday night.

METS: Billy Eppler quit as general manager, three days after David Stearns was hired above him as the team’s first president of baseball operations.

“I wanted David to have a clean slate and that meant me stepping down,” Eppler said in a statement released by the team.

Eppler was hired in November 2021 and lasted less than two years in the job. The manager he hired, Buck Showalter, was fired Sunday by owner Steve Cohen, who said Stearns wanted to bring in his own manager.

The Mets had a record payroll this year but faded to fourth in the NL East.

“He decided it is in everyone’s best interest to fully hand over the leadership of baseball operations to David Stearns,” Cohen said in a statement.