Beltre To Start Season On Disabled List
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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Texas Rangers are ready for the start of the regular season.
Adrian Beltre, who played in the World Baseball Classic, isn't.
Beltre will go on the disabled list to begin his 20th major league season, Rangers manager Jeff Banister said after Texas beat the Kansas City Royals 5-3 to end the teams' exhibition schedule on Saturday.
Tightness in his right calf was too much for Beltre to overcome. The Rangers said the third baseman would go on the 10-day disabled list on Sunday, retroactive to Thursday.
"We felt, all parties involved, that it was best to start with him on the disabled list," Banister said. "If he can do the work, I don't think it will be long that we could get him up to game speed and ready to go where he feels good about it. We want Adrian on the field as much as we can have him on the field, trying to make the right decision for the long term."
Beltre had left the stadium when the media entered the Texas clubhouse.
"Our intent is for (Joey) Gallo to play third base," Banister said.
Gallo has been up and down between the Rangers and the minor leagues during the past two seasons. He was not visibly emotional about making the opening day roster for the first time.
"That was my intent in spring training to make it," Gallo said.
Texas had a scoreless tie and two wins in the last three games, all against Kansas City, to finish at 17-16-3.
The Royals (17-15-2) had been shut out in the first two games. Drew Butera led off the fifth inning with his second home run of the spring for KC's only run, ending a 22-inning scoreless streak.
Gomez drove in an unearned run in the first inning with his second sacrifice fly in two games. In the four-run second, Delino DeShields hit another sacrifice fly, Choo lined a two-run double and scored on a double by Gomez.