Dahl Scratched From Sunday's Lineup, Rangers Cautious As Injuries Plague MLB
ARLINGTON, Texas — On Sunday, Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward wanted to have his left fielder David Dahl in the lineup. However, Dahl is nursing some right calf tightness that the Rangers are hoping is only a day-to-day issue.
Woodward toyed with the idea of having Dahl as the designated hitter on Sunday. Ultimately, it's not worth the risk.
"It doesn't make sense to push it at this point," Woodward said. "Dahl is one of those guys, I want to make sure we keep this guy healthy. He's had trouble in the past with some injuries. We've gotta make sure we keep this guy on the field. If it means keeping him out a day or two that's going to keep him healthy for the next three weeks to a month, then it's important that we do those things."
The 2021 season has seen its fair share of injuries around Major League Baseball.
Per Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci, teams used the Injured List 88 times through the first week of the season. Stars like Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger have avoided the IL, but San Diego's Fernando Tatis Jr. — maybe the brightest young star in the game — is currently on the IL with a shoulder injury.
In addition, James Paxton, Trevor Rosenthal, Kirby Yates, and Texas' own José Leclerc are dealing with serious arm injuries. Rangers breakout reliever Jonathan Hernández is trying to avoid the Tommy John surgery with rest.
Coming off a 60-game season, teams have to be cautious as the 162-game marathon has just begun. While this season won't be judged by wins and losses for the Rangers, keeping their players' health is critical for the growth and evaluation of their younger players.
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Chris Halicke covers the Texas Rangers for SI's InsideTheRangers.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisHalicke.
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