TEXAS RANGERS NEWS

Robbie Grossman - Will be primary LF to open year Rangers manager Bruce Bochy confirmed that Grossman will be the primary left fielder to open the season for the Rangers, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Impact It's not a huge surprise, but it's worth noting. Grossman was signed to a one-year deal in the offseason, and the switch-hitting outfielder has been excellent in the Cactus League with a 1.167 OPS and two homers over his first 38 plate appearances. With Grossman the everyday option in left, Brad Miller will likely rotate at designated hitter with Jonah Heim and Mitch Garver while also occasionally spelling Grossman in left.

MARCH 19, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Elier Hernandez - Shifting to minor-league camp Hernandez was reassigned to the Rangers' minor-league camp Sunday.

Impact Hernandez was never a likely bet to make Texas' Opening Day roster and should open the 2023 campaign at Triple-A Round Rock. He had an .880 OPS in 89 games with the affiliate last season, though he also made his MLB debut and went 6-for-33 with 15 strikeouts in 14 contests.

MARCH 19, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Marc Church - Reassigned to MiLB camp Church was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Rangers on Sunday.

Impact Church made 37 appearances for High-A Hickory and Double-A Midland in 2022, and he registered a 4.22 ERA with an impressive 78:14 K:BB in 49 innings. The right-hander will likely begin 2023 with Triple-A Round Rock.

MARCH 19, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Jake Latz - Sent to minor-league camp Latz was reassigned to the Rangers' minor-league camp Sunday.

Impact Latz made his MLB debut last season and surrendered three earned runs across 4.2 innings, and he won't make Texas' Opening Day roster. The left-hander had a 5.77 ERA in 53 frames at Triple-A Round Rock last season and is likely to remain with the affiliate for most of 2023.

MARCH 19, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Chase Lee - Reassigned to minors camp Lee was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Rangers on Sunday.

Impact Lee was given a chance to win a spot in the Texas bullpen this spring, but a 4.91 ERA in 7.1 innings of work over seven appearances wasn't good enough. The right-hander will likely report to Triple-A Round Rock and could be an option for Texas at some point this summer.

MARCH 19, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Sam Huff - Optioned to Triple-A Huff was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock by the Rangers on Sunday.

Impact Huff comes up short in his bid to be a bench option for the Rangers to open the season. The 24-year-old isn't long removed from being considered one of the better catching prospects in baseball, and he should get regular at-bats with Round Rock with a chance to help Texas before the end of 2023.

MARCH 19, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Ian Kennedy - Makes another scoreless appearance Kennedy allowed one walk over a scoreless sixth inning in Saturday's spring game against the Angels.

Impact This was the fifth straight scoreless appearance for Kennedy, a non-roster invitee who has allowed two hits and a walk while striking out four during the scoreless stretch. "He's experienced and he's gotten better as spring has gone on, which is usually the case with those guys," Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. "He knows what he's doing out there." Kennedy has recent history as a closer, including a stint with the Rangers in 2021, but it's unlikely he rises to that level if added to the Opening Day roster.

MARCH 19, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Josh Jung In Car Accident at Rangers Spring Training Inside the Rangers keeps up with MLB news as baseball gets closer to the 2023 regular season.

MARCH 19, 2023 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM

Josh Jung In Car Accident, Uninjured Inside the Rangers keeps up with MLB news as baseball gets closer to the 2023 regular season.

MARCH 19, 2023 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM

Bruce Bochy coaching tree? Ties to Texas manager's past pepper Rangers' 2023 schedule TEMPE, Ariz. — Every winter, Bruce Bochy joins a group of baseball buddies for a trip to Wyoming. Sometimes they snowmobile out into Yellows...

MARCH 18, 2023 • DALLASNEWS.COM

Marcus Semien Leads Rangers Past Angels Marcus Semien hit a two-run home run, as the Rangers overcame the late scratch of starting pitcher Glenn Otto.

MARCH 18, 2023 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM

Glenn Otto Scratched From Start Inside the Rangers keeps up with MLB news as baseball gets closer to the 2023 regular season.

MARCH 18, 2023 • KANSASCITY.COM

Glenn Otto - Scratched with right lat tightness Otto was scratched from Saturday's scheduled start in the Cactus League with right lat tightness, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Impact With Otto out, the Rangers will have Chase Lee start in the right-hander's place. Otto will likely need to undergo testing to make sure there's no structural damage. There should be an update on his status in the coming days.

MARCH 18, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

'Pressure Off' For Garver as 2023 Rangers Season Approaches Considering his injury progress and Jonah Heim’s presence, veteran catching Mitch Garver doesn’t need to push to be ready for Texas Rangers...

MARCH 18, 2023 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM

Josh Jung - Scratched due to minor car accident Jung was involved in a minor car accident on his way to Saturday's Cactus League game against the Angels and has been scratched from the lineup, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Impact Jung is not injured, but the Rangers will keep the third baseman out of the lineup as they deal with the logistics of the accident. Assuming everything is ok, the infielder should be back in the lineup in the coming days.

MARCH 18, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

How to Watch Texas Rangers vs. Angels The Texas Rangers hit the road to take on their American League West Division rival Los Angeles Angels.

MARCH 18, 2023 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM

Utility Men Gunning for Rangers Roster Spots A pair of Texas Rangers roster hopefuls are showing their worth by playing multiple positions in Spring Training.

MARCH 18, 2023 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM

Utility Men Gunning for Rangers Roster Spots A pair of Texas Rangers roster hopefuls are showing their worth by playing multiple positions in Spring Training.

MARCH 18, 2023 • KANSASCITY.COM

How to Watch Texas Rangers vs. Angels The Texas Rangers hit the road to take on their American League West Division rival Los Angeles Angels.

MARCH 18, 2023 • KANSASCITY.COM

Andrew Heaney - Throws in minor-league game Heaney allowed a solo home run and struck out eight over five innings in a game against minor leaguers Friday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Impact Heaney increased his innings count during what has been a good week for Texas starting pitching. Both Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom returned to the spring rotation after missing time due to side injuries. Jon Gray threw four shutout innings Thursday before Eovaldi's 3.1 scoreless Friday, and Martin Perez helped Venezuela eliminate the favored Dominican Republic in the WBC. Heaney should take up residence somewhere in the top three spots and could be an option for Opening Day given the delays experienced by deGrom and Eovaldi.

MARCH 18, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Jonah Heim - Belts second spring homer Heim went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Friday's spring game against Milwaukee.

Impact The homer was Heim's second Cactus League blast. Heim, who started at catcher Friday, is expected to share the job with Mitch Garver in 2023. Garver, who is coming back from forearm surgery, is expected to serve as the primary designated hitter, which means Heim could approach or surpass the career-high 450 plate appearances made in 2022. Whether he can sustain production over the course of a long season remains an issue. Heim batted .181/.279/.311 following the All-Star break after a productive first half.

MARCH 18, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Nathan Eovaldi - Returns to spring rotation Eovaldi (side) allowed four hits and struck out five over 3.1 scoreless innings in Friday's spring start against the Brewers.

Impact This was Eovaldi's second Cactus League start but first since he sustained a side injury at the beginning of the month. The right-hander's fastball, which averaged 95.7 mph last season, sat in the upper 90s, touching 99 mph multiple times, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. "I felt like I was ahead in the counts, felt like I used all my pitches," the pitcher said. "The only thing I need to work on doing better at is executing with two strikes." With Jacob deGrom ready to start Sunday, it looks like the Rangers' projected rotation is healthy as the regular season looms. As suggested earlier by manager Bruce Bochy, both Eovaldi and deGrom cold be on restricted counts early.

MARCH 18, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Rangers Must Lock Up Two Big Stars Before Season The Texas Rangers need sign two of their core players to contract extensions ahead of the 2023 MLB season to help ensure future success.

MARCH 18, 2023 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM

Josh Smith, Jonah Heim Shine As Rangers Fall to Brewers Nathan Eovaldi shined in his first start for the Texas Rangers since February, but Cole Ragans took the loss as he gave up all of Milwaukee’...

MARCH 18, 2023 • KANSASCITY.COM

Eovaldi, touching 99, ready to help anchor revamped rotation SURPRISE, Ariz. -- On days he doesn’t start, Nathan Eovaldi makes it a point to watch the Rangers’ other starting pitchers in their Cactus L...

MARCH 18, 2023 • MLB.COM