Robinson Chirinos’ right ankle first major non-COVID concern of Texas Rangers camp
The Texas Rangers are hoping catcher Robinson Chirinos will be available by Opening Day, if not sooner, after his right ankle was injured Monday early in an intrasquad game at Globe Life Field.
The bases were loaded when first baseman Todd Frazier fielded a chopper and threw home. Scott Heineman raced in from third and slid into Chirinos’ ankle on a close play at the plate.
Chirinos sat on the field for a few minutes while being examined by head athletic trainer Matt Lucero. Chirinos was walking gingerly as he exited the game and went down the dugout steps toward the clubhouse.
Images (fluoroscans) were negative, but manager Chris Woodward seemed concerned pending an evaluation Tuesday.
“Anytime a catcher rolls his ankle ... it’s concerning to say the least,” Woodward said. “He’s an impactful guy on our team on both sides of the ball, so we don’t want to lose him. We’ll know tomorrow. If he hobbles in or if he feels better, maybe he’ll be in good shape or we might lose him for a while. I don’t know.”
Left fielder Willie Calhoun also departed early as a precaution after feeling tightness in his right hip flexor. Woodward is hopeful Calhoun misses only a few days.
The Rangers are expecting to carry three catchers on the season-opening roster, and they were planning for Chirinos to carry the load behind the plate. Jeff Mathis and Jose Trevino are likely on the roster, but Nick Ciuffo could be a candidate if Chirinos is out to start the season.
Chirinos agreed to return to the Rangers on a one-year deal in the offseason after a season with the Houston Astros.
Shaping up
An off day during a typical spring training usually produces significant roster adjustments the following day.
The Rangers’ brain trust didn’t even meet Sunday for their first off day of summer camp.
“But I wrote a lot of stuff down,” Woodward said. “There’s a lot to plan for this week.”
The big week started Monday with an intrasquad game that was treated more like a normal game than one that devolves into a simulation with coaches playing a couple positions.
Opening Day starter Lance Lynn made his third camp appearance. Frazier, a third baseman, played first base behind him. Spring/summer breakthrough star Isiah Kiner-Falefa snapped Lynn’s camp scoreless streak with a first-inning homer.
But the change in tenor has as much to do with getting jump-started for the 60-game regular season as determining roster spots. With 30-man rosters the first two weeks of the season, there are plenty of spots to be won over the next 10 days.
“It’s big for us to start the season strong and fast,” Woodward said. “This is a big week as far as competitiveness and getting ready timing-wise. So, kind of planning out some things, things we had talked about before, structuring this week so we could hit the ground running was really important.”
The starting rotation will dictate the final 30. It appears all five starters will be capable of logging seven innings from Opening Day on, which could allow the Rangers to carry fewer relievers than expected.
Woodward said he doesn’t want to carry a bunch of extra relievers if only one or two of them is going to pitch. The Rangers could added a few bench specialists instead, like a speedy player whose primary purpose is to pinch run.
The Rangers might carry 10 relievers and the five starters.
“The way our starters are right now has a pretty drastic effect on how many pitchers we need to keep,” Woodward said. “The next time around, starting today, we’re going to get a good feel for how many pitches they can actually throw when it comes down to Opening Day.
“If that means we get to keep one less reliever because of it, because we know our starters can go a little bit deep, then that makes us better. I can add one or two position players that can maybe provide a ton of value off the bench.”
First base is the only position up for grabs, and the play of Kiner-Falefa this spring could lead to Frazier playing first base more than expected. First basemen Ronald Guzman and Greg Bird are competing for a spot, and Bird homered Monday.
Lynn gives up five
Rangers hitters struggled to make solid contact against Lynn in his first two starts, which covered 11 scoreless innings, but that changed some in his third outing.
Kiner-Falefa took him deep as the game’s second hitter, and drove in two runs during a four-run second inning that was halted before Lynn recorded the third out.
Lynn didn’t allow another run over his final four innings, and finished 5 2/3 innings allowing five hits and one walk with four strikeouts.
His final camp appearance will be Saturday before his first career Opening Day assignment July 24 against the Colorado Rockies.
He was working on his sinker when runners were on base in the second inning.
“It wasn’t terrible,” Lynn said. “All the other pitches were where I wanted them to be other than that curveball to Kiner, and he put a good swing on it.”
As far as pitch counts go, Lynn is fine. He threw 107 pitches in 5 2/3 innings.
“It’s July,” he said. “There you go.”
Woodward didn’t see any reason to be alarmed.
“I thought our team did a good job against him,” he said. “I thought they ran him into some long counts. They hit some mistakes. He left some balls over the middle of the plate that our guys took advantage of. They put the ball in play. They didn’t strike out.”
