Texas Rangers obeying CDC guidelines, but expect eventual coronavirus positive test
Life with the Texas Rangers is exactly what the rest of the United States is going through amid the coronavirus pandemic — staying busy at not getting sick.
Baseball activities are limited. Social distancing is observed. Facilities are serviced by professional cleaning companies.
But even though no Rangers player, major-leaguer or in the minors, or staff member has tested positive for coronavirus, general manager Jon Daniels expects that to change.
“It seems like a decent chance,” Daniels said. “But we’re in regular contact with everybody. We’ve asked everybody to keep us posted, and guys are being honest.
If guys are sneezing or have a headache and it’s allergy season, and we’ll record all that stuff. In our conversations with our medical team and MLB’s medical team, we don’t have anybody they’ve indicated we should be treating differently at this point.”
The Rangers’ complex in Arizona is all but shut down. Their complex in the Dominican Republic is even closer to a full shutdown. Globe Life Field will sit idly for at least another week, even though it is close to be ready for baseball activity.
All work is so focused on keeping players and staff healthy. The very creative and active minds of the front office haven’t stopped to evaluate spring training or think about tinkering with the roster.
Rangers baseball is basically at a standstill.
“I think everybody is dealing with shorter-term issues right now,” Daniels said.
There are exceptions. Players are working out, though with social distancing and proper hygiene as much a focus as staying in shape. The handful of players in Arizona, most of them Venezuelan prospects facing a travel ban back home, are doing only limited baseball activities.
Players are continuing to train in DFW at the Urban Youth Academy, which was closed to the public last week. The projected starting rotation has been given instructions on how to proceed, but Daniels said the Rangers also discouraged all players from working out at gyms.
Most gyms have closed in accordance with city ordinances or CDC recommendations.
Daniels has instructed staff to start looking at scenarios for when baseball does resume, and he hopes it does resume.
“There’s a lot of unknown,” he said. “I’ve asked the guys to take a look at what a return-to-play plan might look like or need to look like for different players and understanding they may be different stages of readiness.”
Daniels said the Rangers are supportive of the MLB decision to give minor-leaguers a daily stipend through April 8, the day before the originally scheduled opening of the minor-league season.
That, like everything else, has been pushed back indefinitely.
