Advertisement

sportsRangers

Adrian Beltré stops by Rangers spring training, dipping toes in potential baseball duties with club

The former Ranger great spent significant time with Texas’ new veteran presence, Marcus Semien.

SURPRISE, Ariz. – What was that about the Rangers having an unsettled third base situation?

No problem, Adrian Beltré is here.

Beltré will not, however, be making a comeback. He came to camp for the weekend to serve as a special instructor. While Beltré, who turns 43 in April, is very happily retired and now a baseball dad to his son, A.J., he and the club are dipping toes in the water to see if he’d like to take on some baseball duties.

Of particular note, Beltré spent significant time with Marcus Semien during batting practice and then was engaged with him in a 1-on-1 discussion later in the afternoon. Semien, who holds the same locker spot Beltré did in the Surprise clubhouse, is the expected team leader. For nearly a decade, that’s a role Beltré held with the Rangers.

Rangers

Be the smartest Rangers fan. Get the latest news.

Or with:

Briefly: In an 11-0 loss to Milwaukee Saturday in Surprise, the Rangers managed only three hits. They had only one – a single by Adolis García – through eight innings. Perhaps most notable: Intended 3B Andy Ibáñez got too cautious fielding a ground ball and committed a key error. … INF Josh Smith had been scheduled to start at second base for the Rangers on Saturday, but rolled his ankle and was scratched. INF Davis Wendzel started in his place as a precaution. … Sunday marks the unofficial deadline for Rangers players who want to play in the season-opening series at Toronto to take Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The actual deadline is Tuesday, but because of shortages of the vaccine and potential shipping delays, the Rangers wanted decisions by Sunday. They do not anticipate having to make any roster decisions based solely on vaccine status.

Advertisement

+++

Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.