Advertisement

sportsRangers

Rangers notebook: Team remains hopeful it can avoid placing Rougned Odor on IL; LHP Joely Rodriguez activated

To make room for Rodriguez on the roster, first baseman Greg Bird was placed on the IL.

The Rangers remain hopeful they can avoid placing second baseman Rougned Odor on the IL with a sore right oblique muscle that he tweaked Saturday night. He was out of the lineup for the second straight start Tuesday. With another lefty, Sean Manaea, scheduled to pitch for Oakland on Wednesday, there is no need to rush Odor.

Manager Chris Woodward said the Rangers would re-evaluate the possibility of an IL stint if it looks like Odor won’t be ready to go by the start of the Los Angeles Angels series on Friday in Arlington.

Cuts coming: The Rangers, along with all other MLB teams, will have to cut rosters from 30 to 28 players after Wednesday’s game. But, it appears, that will be the last cutdown of the season. According to reports, MLB is planning to revise it’s plan to trim rosters from 28 to 26 on Aug. 20 as a concession to the number of positive coronavirus test results that have swept through clubs.

Advertisement

“With some of these outbreaks, it will be nice to know you have a little bit of extra depth to work with instead of having to scratch and claw to get guys here,” Woodward said. “I think everybody kind of agrees based on the way things are going. It can be kind of tricky.”

Rangers

Be the smartest Rangers fan. Get the latest news.

Or with:

Rodriguez activated: The Rangers bullpen got a much-needed boost with the activation of left-hander Joely Rodriguez from the injured list Tuesday. Rodriguez was the team’s biggest bullpen acquisition over the winter after two seasons in Japan. He had been dealing with a lat muscle strain suffered in May.

To make room for Rodriguez on the roster, first baseman Greg Bird was placed on the IL with a calf strain. The move was retroactive to Saturday, one day after he was called up. It’s somewhat fitting that Bird ended up on the IL before playing a game for the Rangers as his career has been marked by one injury after another. Bird has been limited to 186 games over the last six seasons.

Advertisement

Find more Rangers stories from The Dallas Morning News here.