Rangers release pitcher Guthrie, but stay quiet on final decisions

Spring training ends Wednesday for the Texas Rangers, who have gathered all the information they need to pick a No. 5 starter and to announce their Opening Day roster.

They have even pegged the desired composition of the roster for April 4 against Seattle.

But their roster doesn’t have to be delivered to Major League Baseball until Sunday morning, and an announcement could be on hold until then as the Rangers attempt to maintain as much flexibility as possible in case of a late-camp injury.

Things became a tad more clear Monday afternoon, when Jeremy Guthrie was released from his minor league deal and thus eliminated from the competition for the fifth spot in the rotation.

A.J. Griffin appears to be well in front of three other candidates, but the Rangers are staying mum on his chances. As many as four other spots are undecided.

Who makes the roster could come down to who has a spot on the 40-man roster and who has minor league options available. The Rangers might not reveal their plans until the last possible minute.

“That’s a possibility,” manager Jeff Banister said. “It’s only one day, Opening Day, but it’s still crucial. If you start optioning and sending guys out, barring an injury, you can’t get them back. We can utilize the rules to our benefit, also, if that’s the way we see it.”

Banister said that it is unlikely that the Rangers will add a player from outside the organization, saying that the players and pitchers in camp are better than anything that will become available.

A source said that while the Rangers have discussed acquiring a catcher throughout camp, including former TCU star Bryan Holaday as he fights to make the Detroit roster, any talks have been along the lines of doing their due diligence.

The Rangers are focused on their own and a number of roster possibilities.

The fifth starter won’t be needed until Game No. 5 on April 8, so Banister said the opening roster will likely have the nine regulars, four starters, eight relievers and four bench players.

Once the fifth starter is needed, the Rangers are likely to stick with a four-man bench and trim to seven relievers after the Rangers were able to stretch out a number of pitchers who can log multiple innings.

They include Sam Freeman, who is out of options, and fellow left-hander Andrew Faulkner, who can be optioned. Right-handers Tom Wilhelmsen and Tony Barnette will be asked to work more than an inning, and rotation candidates Nick Martinez, Phil Klein or Cesar Ramos could serve as a true long man.

But Banister left open the possibility of keeping eight relievers.

“Four days is a long time,” he said. “A lot can happen in four days.”

Banister doesn’t expect the Rangers to be shackled by which players need to be added to the 40-man roster, a process that would force the Rangers to designate players for assignment to create openings.

Guthrie, Ramos, Bobby Wilson, Michael McKenry, Pedro Ciriaco and Drew Stubbs are all still in camp on minor league deals and would need to be added to the 40-man. It could be tough for the Rangers to find five spots, especially because no spots can be created by moving a player to the 60-day disabled list.

Banister, though, acknowledged the importance of maintaining depth and having roster flexibility with players who can freely be shuttled up and down I-35 between Arlington and Triple A Round Rock.

“I feel good that we’ll be able to take the appropriate players, even with the contract situations and still maintain the right flexibility,” Banister said.

“It always gets a little bit challenging. I’ve been on staffs before where you’ve always talked about taking the ‘best 25.’ I think that the 25 you take are the best, but it’s taking the ‘right 25’ also.”

Guthrie was summoned into the manager’s office shortly after 1 p.m. and told that he wasn’t going to make the club. He spoke at length Sunday with reporters, expressing his doubts for making the team.

His first concern was that he had thrown in a minor league game Saturday instead of the Cactus League game, and he also didn’t see how he would fit into the Triple A rotation.

Guthrie said on Monday that two clubs have expressed an interest in him.

“I want to pitch,” he said.

Slowed by back spasms early in camp, Guthrie pitched in three A games and two minor league games. He said that the Rangers told him that his lack of consistent execution of his pitches ultimately cost him the rotation spot.

Griffin has the most complete body of work this spring, but he said that he hasn’t been told anything about his roster status. He is scheduled to pitch Tuesday.

“Like I say every time, I’m trying to prepare myself to pitch as much as I can and help the team out,” Griffin said. “I’ll try to be as ready as I can and go out there and give them my best.”

It might be until Sunday before anything official is announced.

This story was originally published March 28, 2016 at 7:39 PM with the headline "Rangers release pitcher Guthrie, but stay quiet on final decisions."