Mike Minor can leave Texas Rangers after season. A bigger priority is family’s safety
The one Texas Rangers player arguably with the most at stake this season is left-hander Mike Minor, a father for the third time who wants to keep his family safe. He also has the potential of becoming one of the biggest free agents on the winter market.
He is more worried about his family than what happens with his playing future.
Minor said that he hasn’t wondered too much about what happens when his three-year, $28 million contract expires after this 60-game season. The same goes for the Rangers, who have had some internal discussions about the offseason but nothing to move upon.
“It’s nothing I can control,” Minor said. “I’m just going out there and do my thing for my team and try to win a World Series. Then see what happens in the offseason.”
Minor left his wife and three daughters in Tennessee to scout out the COVID-19 scene in the Metroplex and see if it would be safe for them to join him in a few weeks. His youngest daughter was born March 30.
His two older daughters weren’t too happy to see Daddy’s extended stay at home come to an end last week.
“I was home for so long,” he said. “They were upset that I left. The kids couldn’t understand why I had to go and they couldn’t come right now.”
Minor made his second outing of summer camp Thursday, and he said it went “poorly.” He allowed three runs in four innings, recording only one out in the third and just two in the fifth before tapping out at 73 pitches.
His final pitch was deposited into the left-field seats by Yadiel Rivera for a three-run homer. Minor didn’t care for his control.
“I was trying to throw up in the zone and kept missing,” he said. “One inning I had the three walks. They were close pitches, but I felt I should have been more around the zone. Breaking stuff wasn’t as good. I made some good pitches, but it wasn’t as crisp as I would have liked.”
Minor is in line to start the Rangers’ second game of the season. Lance Lynn will be the starting pitcher when the Rangers open July 24 at Globe Life Field against the Colorado Rockies.
Corey Kluber, who is positioned for the third game, allowed one run in six innings on a Rougned Odor homer. Kluber, who threw 80 pitches, struck out eight and didn’t issue a walk.
Gallo fine, Martin better
General manager Jon Daniels said that left-hander Brett Martin’s condition has improved since he tested positive for COVID-19, but neither he nor Joey Gallo, who also tested positive, have been cleared to participate in summer camp.
Martin was experiencing fatigue and chest congestion last week after his test. Gallo is asymptomatic and has twice testing negative in nasal testing done privately, but he has twice failed the MLB-mandated saliva test.
“Joey has never developed any symptoms. Brett’s have, thankfully ... mostly subsided,” Daniels said. “He reports feeling better every day. That’s been a positive. I am hopeful they won’t be out too much longer.”
Each player must test negative twice with 24 hours between samples before being cleared for action.
Chirinos trying out mask
No player on a baseball field comes in as much close contact with another player than the catcher, who has at least three batters an inning huffing and puffing to his left or his right.
He also has an umpire breathing down his neck.
This isn’t a great time for all that socializing at the plate.
So, Robinson Chirinos is experimenting with wearing a mask under his mask, a face covering to keep coronavirus away and a catcher’s mask to keep foul balls away.
“It really concerns me,” said Chirinos a father of two. “I’m trying to see if I can do it in the game because I’m close to the guys hitting, close to the umpire, and it’s going to be a challenge. It’s going to be a challenge for us in that area to keep distance or to keep from talking between each other.”
Catching isn’t a sanitary task in non-pandemic times. Plenty of dirt. Lots of spitting. Hitters playing with illnesses. The plate umpire sweats and breathes heavily and often makes contact with a catcher.
Chirinos hopes they are mindful of the situation.
“I hope the umpires wear something when they’re behind me, and I hope he’s not getting too close,” he said. “Sometimes you see umpires putting their hand on top of my back or my helmet. They need to figure out a way also, to not be so close. I don’t know what that’s going to look like, but right now, everybody’s adjusting and trying to find a way to get this season going.”
