Jeremy Jeffress regretful about arrest, apologizes to Rangers
Texas Rangers reliever Jeremy Jeffress was embarrassed and apologetic when he spoke by phone with general manager Jon Daniels and teammate Jonathan Lucroy after his early morning arrest Friday in Dallas on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
Jeffress was placed on the restricted list by the Rangers and was unavailable for Friday’s game. Left-hander Dario Alvarez was recalled from Triple A Round Rock. Jeffress could return Saturday, Daniels said.
Lucroy, a catcher who has played with Jeffress since both were Class A teammates in the Milwaukee organization, said his first response upon hearing the news was concern.
There’s never a good time for something like this. I don’t even want to put it into baseball terms. I’m more concerned now in trying to get our arms around the situation and look at the real-life element first, baseball second.
Jon Daniels
“I have a personal connection to him. I’ve known him for 10 years now. There’s nothing going through my mind other than the fact that I’m thankful that he wasn’t hurt and didn’t hurt anybody,” said Lucroy, who came to Texas from Milwaukee in a deadline trade along with Jeffress. “I’m thankful for the fact that he expressed regret to me and apologized to me personally on the phone.”
Lucroy said he called Jeffress to check on his welfare after learning the news Friday morning.
“I just reached out to him to let him know that I’m supportive of him,” Lucroy said. “He’s a great guy. He cares a lot. A good teammate. He’s just fighting some demons and we have to help him get through those demons.
“We have to help him fight them. We all have problems. We’ve all messed up. Everyone in here. You guys included. Everyone in here has made a mistake. We have to help him get through it and overcome it, just like we were helped ourselves.”
He’s a great guy. He cares a lot. A good teammate. He’s just fighting some demons and we have to help him get through those demons. We all have problems.
Jonathan Lucroy
Daniels said the club will let the legal proceedings play out.
“I’m glad no one was hurt from it,” he said. “I don’t want to minimize the severity of what could’ve happened. I don’t want to put words in his mouth, and obviously he’ll address the media, address the fans and address his teammates, but I think it’s very safe to say he was embarrassed and apologetic for what happened.”
Jeffress tested positive three times for marijuana in the minors, the last time coming in 2009, which got him suspended 100 games. Another drug infraction could mean a lifetime ban. Jeffress said he used marijuana to self-medicate seizures he started having in 2008. He wasn’t properly diagnosed with juvenile epilepsy until 2013. Lucroy said he feels obligated to help Jeffress.
“I know he fights some stuff on a personal level,” he said. “This game is a game. It’s our lifestyle, but it’s a game. Whenever you’re dealing with stuff in your personal life like that, that becomes way more important than the game.”
Griffin goes Saturday
Right-hander A.J. Griffin makes his 18th start Saturday against the Indians. His body is holding up despite being at 90 1/3 innings in his first full season since having Tommy John surgery in April 2014. He’s still looking to pitch at least seven innings in a game for the first time since going eight on April 26. He allowed three runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 last week at Tampa Bay. “I’m feeling good. I’ve kind of hit my stride a little bit more and the body is bouncing back better and I’m able to go out there and throw the ball the way I want to,” said Griffin, who is 5-3 with a 4.68 ERA.
Stefan Stevenson: 817-390-7760, @StevensonFWST
This story was originally published August 26, 2016 at 5:37 PM with the headline "Jeremy Jeffress regretful about arrest, apologizes to Rangers."