Texas Rangers rest Nelson Cruz as injury concerns remain constant
The Texas Rangers placed Nelson Cruz on the bench again when they took on the Seattle Mariners for the third and the last time in their series finale.
The outfielder moved out of the game in the seventh inning, following a strain in his right quadriceps muscle. The team has been waiting patiently for the problem to go away and there is positive feedback from him.
The team is adamant about keeping the star away from the disabled list, following a risky proposition to dislodge their best hitter in the squad at the moment. With the club plagued with injury and fitness concerns, Cruz’s placement on the list will only
complicate matters for manager Ron Washington. This is one of the reasons why the team is waiting till Saturday to avail good feedback.
The skipper has thought about using the outfielder as a pinch hitter but the weather in Seattle on Thursday prevented such decisions to be undertaken. There is also the issue of a late travel term that will see the club go to Arlington after night time.
The team has to prepare for their home series against the New York Yankees and Cruz’s participation is seen as risky.
The temperature in Seattle was dropping from 57 degrees when the Rangers went to the field for batting practice. That raised concerns over Cruz’s condition.
"It's getting better but he was not going to play today", Washington said. "That was already determined. I'm not putting him out there in that cold. And I'm certainly not going to play him after that travel day.
"This could be a blessing in disguise. He's getting days off when he didn't want them".
The player however believes he can pinch hit against the Yanks.
"I ran outside and it was good", Cruz said. "I'll run again tomorrow and see if I'm ready to go. One or two more days and I'll be good. I hit yesterday and I didn't feel anything".
With Neftali Feliz returning to the mound, the Rangers will be good in the pitching department. With Cruz out however their batting is a concern.
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