Rangers vs Mariners Pre-Game Notes: Derek Dietrich Signed to Minor League Deal, Roof Open at Globe Life Field
Editor's Note: This story has been updated since originally published.
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers look to build off their sweep of the Los Angeles Angels as they host their AL West rival Seattle Mariners for a three-game series at Globe Life Field.
Seattle Mariners (6-11) @ Texas Rangers (6-8)
Monday, August 10, 2020
8:05 p.m. CT
Globe Life Field | Arlington, TX
Roof Open
Probables
SEA: RHP Justin Dunn (0-1, 6.43 ERA)
vs
TEX: RHP Kyle Gibson (0-1, 2.45 ERA)
Broadcast
Seattle Mariners
TV: Root Sports Northwest
Radio: 710
Texas Rangers
TV: FOX Sports Southwest
Radio: 105.3 The Fan, KFLC
Seattle Mariners Starting Lineup
- SS J.P. Crawford
- RF Dylan Moore
- CF Kyle Lewis
- 3B Kyle Seager
- C Austin Nola
- 2B Shed Long Jr.
- 1B Evan White
- DH Daniel Vogelbach
- LF Tim Lopes
Texas Rangers Starting Lineup
- LF Shin-Soo Choo
- CF Nick Solak
- DH Willie Calhoun
- RF Joey Gallo
- 1B Todd Frazier
- 2B Rougned Odor
- 3B Isiah Kiner-Falefa
- SS Elvis Andrus
- C Robinson Chirinos
Injury Report
Joe Palumbo (10-day IL: ulcerative colitis flare up)
Rangers manager Chris Woodward provided this update on Joe Palumbo on Saturday afternoon:
"He has some stomach issues I believe (ulcerative colitis), so it is a pretty major flareup going on right now. He is not in a good spot. He does not feel great. We are trying to figure out what it is, something he is eating. He’s just not in a good place. He doesn’t feel great. We are just trying to get it regulated and calmed down so we he comes off the IL, he’ll be ready to pitch for us. Because right now it would be really tough to go out there."
Greg Bird (10-day IL: right calf strain)
Woodward on Saturday:
“Birdie seems like he’s in a good spot. I saw him running around yesterday. I’m not sure if he feels anything. He said he felt pretty good. Like he would almost be able to play. That’s encouraging."
Danny Santana (10-day IL: forearm tightness)
Update from Rangers GM Jon Daniels:
"Danny worked out a little bit, fielded ground balls at first, continuing his throwing program. We really haven’t pushed the arm yet—he is hitting—we’ll ramp that up more in the next few days and have more information. I think Danny could DH right now and play first base. We would like to expand that versatility. To do so, we need to see where his arm us at. We’ll keep building up his arm before we are ready to activate him."
Corey Kluber (45-day IL: shoulder tear)
He is two weeks into a four-week shutdown. He went back to his home in Boston during this time.
José Leclerc (45-day IL: shoulder tear)
Leclerc has the same prognosis as Corey Kluber. He is only a few days behind Kluber, roughly a week and a half into a four-week shutdown.
Rangers Sign Derek Dietrich to Minor League Contract
The Rangers announced on Monday that infielder Derek Dietrich has been signed to a minor league contract and assigned to the Alternate Training Site.
Dietrich, 31, was released by the Chicago Cubs on August 8 after signing with the club and joining its Alternate Training Site on July 23. He had been in the Cincinnati Reds organization since 2019, but saw limited action in Summer Camp before he was released on July 20.
Rangers GM Jon Daniels said there were three qualities that made Dietrich an attractive option: “Power, versatility, and energy."
"He’s always been able to impact the ball," Daniels continued. "He can play second, can play first, can play a little third, can play a little outfield. He goes out there and brings it every day. He works really hard. He’s really committed. He enjoys playing the game. I think that energy level was a plus as well. But all three of those things were factors there.”
The left-handed batter has slashed .246/.334/.427 with 79 home runs and 247 RBIs over 721 career Major League games with the Miami Marlins (2013-2018) and Cincinnati (2019). He hit a career-high 19 home runs in 113 games for the Reds last season. Dietrich has appeared primarily at second base in the Majors while also seeing time at first base, third base, and left field.
Dietrich was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2nd round of the 2010 MLB Draft out of Georgia Tech, and was traded to Miami in 2012.
Globe Life Field's Roof Will be Open for Monday Night's Game
For the first time in the history of Globe Life Field, the roof will be open for an official Major League Baseball game. The high in Arlington on Monday is 100 degrees with a projected 97 degrees at first pitch.
So, the first question on most people's mind would be: why?
"Curiosity, as much as anything else," Daniels said. "We went to get some feedback from the players. We played with it open during [an intrasquad] game, and it got good reviews. It warmed up a little bit down on the field, but the way the A/C worked it was still very comfortable.
"We reached out to MLB, and in turn they checked with the Mariners to make sure everybody was on the same page and comfortable with it. Whether we have fans or not in the short term, it's an option for us to consider if it's an environment that everyone enjoys."
The roof will not be opened until 7:45 p.m., just 20 minutes before game time. The roof takes roughly 10 minutes to open.
During the intrasquad game mentioned by Daniels, which was played on July 17, the temperature in the ballpark was vastly cooler than outside. Here is a shot of the ballpark at exactly 8:00 p.m. during that intrasquad game, showing the vast shadow cover:
Most Rangers fans who attended games at Globe Life Park (née The Ballpark in Arlington) in the middle of summer would agree the shadow cover at Globe Life Field is a huge improvement.
Roster Move
Ahead of Monday night's game, the Rangers recalled LHP Taylor Hearn to the active roster and optioned OF Adolis García to the Alternate Training Site.
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