Two days after agreeing to stay together, Texas Rangers, others urged by MLB to leave
So much for sticking together, though that’s still what the Texas Rangers want to do.
Major League Baseball, though, received a “strong recommendation” from its experts that all players on all teams should go home as a means to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
The Rangers took the suggestion to heart, closing camp and sending players on their way.
Rangers players began the process of leaving Arizona on Sunday afternoon, packing up their belongings and checking out of their rental accommodations, less than 48 hours after they unanimously decided to stay for a week and then come to Arlington to work out at Globe Life Field.
“Some guys are going home, some guys are going to Dallas and some people that live here are staying here,” right fielder Joey Gallo said via text message. “I don’t know what workouts are going to be yet. It’s pretty much just like the offseason now.”
General manager Jon Daniels said that most players elected to go home, but a group of 15 to 20 are DFW-bound.
Gallo, Elvis Andrus and Shin-Soo Choo are among the players who live locally, and players expected to be on the Opening Day roster likely have made living arrangements. They potentially will have access to the Urban Youth Academy in west Dallas. Potentially, but not definitively.
“We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves,” Daniels said. “Everything was kind of too be determined.”
Fewer than 10 players are staying to train in Arizona. Rules dictate that the Surprise Recreation Campus must remain open for players on the 40-man roster.
Non-roster invitees to camp must leave, unless they live in high-risk areas or require treatment. Clubs were advised to help those players find accommodations.
The big-league coaching staff has gone home.
“Obviously, things are pretty fluid with the emergency overall, so we’re trying to respond to that as responsibly as we can,” Daniels said.
MLB said in a memo it circulated to clubs that it will hold a conference call Monday to further the discussion on how to advise players on staying healthy. So far, Rangers players have been told repeatedly to frequently wash their hands, to not drink alcohol, to avoid stressful situations and to not spend much time in public.
But it was only Friday afternoon in Arizona when the Rangers met to mull three options given to them by MLB and the MLB Players Association: Go home, stay in Arizona for workouts or go to Arlington for workouts.
Every player voted against going home.
The Rangers worked out Saturday morning and a scheduled off day Sunday was interrupted by a team meeting informing them of the decision to send everyone home. As of Sunday afternoon, they aren’t sure what workouts will look like and they have no idea when the MLB season will begin.
MLB canceled the remainder of spring training games Thursday and delayed Opening Day to at least April 9. A day later, they gave players their three options, indicating that April 9 was a long shot.
Rangers players are guessing the season will begin May 1, but that might also be a generous estimate.
This story was originally published March 15, 2020 at 3:38 PM.
