Texas Rangers feared the worst with Robinson Chirinos. He’s confident with the best.
Only a week has passed since Robinson Chirinos’ right ankle took a direct hit from the slide of Scott Heineman into home plate.
The initial fear was that the Texas Rangers’ starting catcher would miss the beginning of the regular season, if not a big chunk of it.
That won’t be the case, apparently, when the Rangers open the shortened 2020 season Friday against the Colorado Rockies at Globe Life Field.
“If the ankle keeps responding the way it has the last two or three days, I feel positive I will be behind the plate for Friday,” Chirinos said Monday.
Chirinos wants to catch Tuesday night in an exhibition against the Rockies. He caught two innings Sunday and felt fine Monday, when he only took some at-bats during a simulated game.
The Rangers signed Chirinos in the offseason to be their primary catcher after he spent a season as the Houston Astros’ top catcher. He has caught more than 100 games each of the past two seasons, the first in 2018 with the Rangers.
Manager Chris Woodward expects to have three catchers on the initial roster, which has been stretched to 30 players after only a three-week summer camp to get ready for the season.
At the very least, Chirinos will avoid the injured list, and Woodward thinks that will also be the case with Willie Calhoun. The left fielder has a minor muscle strain near his right hip but has been hitting on the field the past two days.
“As long as they don’t have a setback, I would assume both are on to start,” Woodward said. “If there is a setback, that pushes them back. As long as they are ready within the first seven games we will probably keep them on the roster. Willie would be a good pinch-hit option even if he is not ready for the first couple of games.”
Kluber ready
Right-hander Corey Kluber made his fourth and final start of summer camp Monday, allowing two runs in six innings while throwing 88 pitches.
The two-time Cy Young winner allowed three hits, including a solo homer by Danny Santana, and struck out eight while not issuing a walk.
“It has been a good second go-around in camp,” Kluber said. “I feel the work I did over the break, I was able to hit the ground running and finish the progression I started in spring training.”
He will start the Rangers’ third game of the season Sunday, following Opening Day starter Lance Lynn and Mike Minor.
Paying minor-leaguers
The Rangers have extended their weekly payments to minor-leaguers through Sept. 7, when the minor-league season was supposed to end before it was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
They will continue to receive $400 a week, paychecks that had been in doubt. The Rangers, though, have agreed to keep paying minor-leaguers before the past two deadlines approached at the end of May and the end of June.
The Rangers hope that MLB will organize an extended instructional league for minor-leaguers later in the season or a broader Arizona Fall League to help continue player development.
Summer camp has helped in that regard. The Rangers have their top two prospects, Sam Huff and Josh Jung in camp, along with another top prospect, Leody Taveras. However, top pitching prospects Cole Winn, Hans Crouse and Ricky Vanasco were not included in the 60-man player pool.
Right-hander Kyle Cody, who is on the 40-man roster, was added to the player pool Monday and assigned to the alternate camp site at Globe Life Park.
