What We've Learned In Rangers Camp So Far
We're a week plus into Spring Training, as the Rangers made their first cuts on Saturday. The club reassigned 10 players back to minor league camp, including high-touted pitchers Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker.
Here are three we've learning in camp so far, both promising and concerning. The good news is that we're still three-and-a-half weeks from Opening Day.
Pitcher Injuries A Theme
"Tightness" is your buzzword of the week regarding the Rangers, especially the pitching staff. Jacob deGrom is dealing with side tightness, delaying him from pitching in Spring Training games. He threw a bullpen on Saturday (watch here) and should throw live BP on Wednesday in Surprise.
Meanwhile, Nathan Eovaldi encountered left-side tightness, which kept him out of his next scheduled outing.
Jose Leclerc suffered neck tightness keeping him out of the World Baseball Classic for the Dominican Republic.
Finally, Jon Gray's start on Friday didn't occur because of back tightness. Gray and the Rangers aren't concerned, and he's expected to start Wednesday in Scottsdale against Arizona.
The list builds up, but are there any concerns? Rangers manager Bruce Bochy doesn't believe so right now.
"It's Spring Training [and] still early. In another week, I may not be saying, but now I can still say it," he said. "I don't think it's anything."
Gray told Inside the Rangers on Saturday that if it was the regular season, he might have pushed through the tightness, but with Spring Training, there's no reason to power through. That's probably not the case with all four players, but naturally, timetables extend because of the extended Spring Training.
Infield Utility Role Competition Gets Lighter
Left field remains the hot topic with the most questions, but the backup infield role gained clarity. On Saturday, the Rangers signed left-hander Will Smith to a Major League deal, putting him on the 40-man roster.
To correspond with the move, the Rangers designated Mark Mathias for assignment. It appeared that Mathias had a spot on the Opening Day roster, but with Josh Smith, Ezequiel Duran and Brad Miller, it appeared Mathias drew the short stick.
"[We] had to find a roster spot [for Will Smith]," Bochy told Inside the Rangers. "It's the tough part of the game [and] Mark was a pleasure watching him play. The move had to be made [and] that's the tough part."
The Rangers have 17 position players on their 40-man roster, including Luisangel Acuña, Jonathan Ornelas and Dustin Harris, who likely won't make the Opening Day roster.
So subtract those players plus Sam Huff if the Rangers don't want to carry three catchers, and your 13-position player pool fills up to the maximum. But, of course, that's also assuming someone like Clint Frazier does not make the Opening Day roster.
Young Players Stepping Up Early
Some of these young prospects are opening eyes in camp, namely Evan Carter and Luisangel Acuña.
"A young kid to do what he did is good for him, and I'm happy for him," Bochy said after Acuña hit a game-tying solo home run in the ninth inning in Saturday's loss to the White Sox.
Evan Carter is dazzling with his bat and his glove. The Rangers' No. 3 prospect has drawn five walks and put up an on-base percentage of .615 in 13 plate appearances. To couple that, Carter racked up two outfield assists in 33 2/3 innings.
A small surprise was Carter was not a part of the first cut of players reassigned to minor league camp Saturday. There are a couple of reasons for that. First, with the available playing time in the outfield, Carter will get his reps in. Plus, he's earned that extra time in Major League camp with how he's played.
Does that mean he'll make the Opening Day roster? Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves.
You can find Alex Plinck on Twitter @aplinckTX.
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