Texas Rangers minor leaguers on the mend after presumptive positive coronavirus tests
Three Texas Rangers minor-league players have shown symptoms for coronavirus, two of them after sustained contact with family members, but none have been tested and all are thought to be on the road to recovery.
General manager Jon Daniels did not name the players or say what level they played at last season, but each was treated as presumptive positive. Based on the timing of when symptoms occurred, the Rangers believe the players did not contract the virus while in spring training.
Daniels said some Rangers employees have seen family members fall ill, including one who died from COVID-19. No major-league players, coach staff or front-office members have been monitored for coronavirus, he said.
“We have some other people in the organization, who have been directly affected,” Daniels said. “Family members getting ill, and in one case passing away, but, fortunately, no one in the organization has been directly affected to that degree.”
The Rangers continue to operate as if there will be a season this year, based on information they have received either directly or indirectly from Major League Baseball.
Players continue to workout, especially the projected members of the rotation, but without the same intensity as they would be if they knew when the season would resume.
Those who left spring training injured are continuing to rehab and should be ready to participate in a shortened spring training once a date is picked for Opening Day.
The most notable among them is left fielder Willie Calhoun, who has no limitations a month after being struck by a 95 mph fastball that broke his jaw.
Catchers Jose Trevino (finger) and Jeff Mathis (hamstring) and right-hander Jesse Chavez (shoulder) have also shown improvements, and left-hander Brock Burke (shoulder) has started rehabbing after season-ending shoulder surgery last month.
The Rangers are also planning to make Globe Life Field available to players who live locally. They are putting the clubhouse and other areas players would need through a medical cleaning, which they had planned to do before a subcontractor working on the $1.2-billion ballpark tested positive for coronavirus.
Daniels said the Rangers would strictly adhere to CDC guidelines, including social distancing by allowing only a few players at a time to use certain areas.
This story was originally published April 6, 2020 at 5:12 PM.
