Mantra for Texas Rangers roster hopefuls: Do whatever it takes

The wait to find out where he would be playing baseball again ended Tuesday for Brett Nicholas, when general manager Jon Daniels phoned to inform him that he had cleared waivers and was still in the Texas Rangers organization.

And there Nicholas was Thursday, in the Rangers clubhouse at the Surprise Recreation Campus and back in the mix to be the backup catcher to open the 2018 season. The result of his ride on the waiver wire ended with mixed emotions.

At a locker on the opposite side of the room sat Clayton Blackburn, who was holding out hope that the news on his right elbow wouldn't be catastrophic. The rope hope he was clinging to was down to its last thread.

If the news is been better than expected — which it wasn't — Blackburn would go out with the rest of the pitchers to try to further his case for the Opening Day roster. Starter or reliever, it doesn't matter.

Nicholas and Blackburn are no different than half of the remaining players on the Rangers' spring roster. They are willing to do whatever it takes to be in the major leagues, whether it's learning to play another position or pitching in a different role, where they all believe they should be and could stay if given the opportunity.

"I'm doing whatever I can to make a roster anywhere," outfielder Destin Hood said. "I've had situations where everything was lined up except there was not space. Just so that doesn't happen again, I need to give other options just so I can get another look.

"You never know. Nothing's promised to the next guy. The more you can do, the more incentive it gives to keep you around."

Hood is one of four outfielders vying for time in left field or on the bench after Willie Calhoun was sent to Triple A Round Rock. He's up against Ryan Rua, Drew Robinson and Carlos Tocci, who each has something Hood doesn't — a spot on the 40-man roster.

Hood has been seen taking grounders at first base, an idea he brought to camp with him on his minor-league invite. The idea, though, came from former Miami Marlins teammate Dee Gordon, who explained the importance of versatility for a player in Hood's position.

"He raised my awareness to it," said Hood, the Washington Nationals' second-round pick in 2008. "I feel like I can learn it. You try to cram in as much as you can. Why not try to get better at something else that I'd be allowed to do? It's just another tool for the arsenal."

Nicholas finds himself in a similar spot as Hood, without a 40-man spot after being designated for assignment March 7 to clear room for right-hander Tim Lincecum. Nicholas passed through waivers and was assigned outright to Triple A Round Rock with an invitation back to big-league camp.

Juan Centeno has a 40-man spot and, like Nicholas, is a left-handed hitter with pop, though Nicholas has more. Curt Casali, who has the most big-league experience, and Michael Ohlman also remain in the hunt to back up Robinson Chirinos.

It was a dicey week for Nicholas, who lives in the Phoenix area and continued his workouts at the gym he uses in the off-season. But his anxiety level jumped a notch or two each time his phone rang, buzzed or pinged.

"You don't have control over it. The hardest part is you're waiting," he said. "I had to change the ringer on my phone and told my mom to quit calling so much."

Though Nicholas is back with the only organization he knows, the goal is to be in the big leagues. Had he been claimed, he would have gone on another team's 40-man roster and been in a better position for an Opening Day roster.

He has read the writing on the wall, and it doesn't look good for him now that he's off the 40-man roster. Nevertheless, he is preparing each day to win the open spot.

"If I'm being honest, you wan to be in the big leagues," Nicholas said. "I love Texas, but personally you want to be in the big leagues. It's a little disappointing in that sense."

Blackburn won't be pitching any time soon after learning that he has a Grade 1 strain of the ulnar collateral ligament and won't throw for up to six weeks. Before his elbow went south, he had been one of the surprises of camp after opening with five scoreless innings in his first two starts. With the state of the pitching stuff in the air, he was trying to wedge himself into the discussion.

He's been close before to his MLB debut. Twice he has been called up from Triple A, once with the San Francisco Giants and last season with the Rangers, but has never appeared in a game.

"It's every kid's dream as a major-leaguer to get called up," Blackburn said. "And then your dreams are kind of crushed. It's unexpected and not much fun to handle, but you get over it and move on."

The key these days is versatility. If a team goes with 13 pitchers, as the Rangers have been known to do, that leaves only three bench players. One of those is the backup catcher, leaving an utility infielder and an extra outfielder who must be able to cover multiple positions.

It helps regulars if they can play more than one spot. That helped Joey Gallo stay in the majors last season after third baseman Adrian Beltre returned from the disabled list.

Gallo, like Nicholas, Hood and Blackburn, was willing to do whatever it took.

"You pay your dues when you're a young guy and you just play wherever you can to get your at-bats," Gallo said. "I always wanted to remain athletic and be able to play another position, especially when I got drafted as a third baseman for the Texas Rangers. I knew one of the best in the game was playing there, so I knew I'd have to move around the field. I always want to keep versatility."

Rangers 6, Brewers 5

HBP—by—Martin (Orf). WP—Frieri. Umpires—Home, Mark Ripperger; First, Mike Everitt; Second, Brian Knight; Third, Adam Hamari. T—2:36. A—6,762

This story was originally published March 15, 2018 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Mantra for Texas Rangers roster hopefuls: Do whatever it takes."