The Texas Rangers have sent yet another player to the injured list.
Outfielder David Dahl crashed into the wall in right field in pursuit of a Jared Walsh home run during Tuesday night's game in Anaheim. After pulling Dahl in the seventh inning, manager Chris Woodward hoped the soreness wouldn't be too bad when the team came in on Wednesday morning.
That was not the case. During his pregame Zoom with the media, Woodward said Dahl was more sore than he was on Tuesday night. The Rangers now plan to do further evaluation to see if there is a cracked rib or something similar that could cause Dahl to miss extended time.
Taking his place will be outfielder Jason Martin, who will be in uniform in Anaheim on Wednesday afternoon after going 1-for-4 with a solo home run for Triple-A Round Rock against Tacoma on Tuesday night.
Martin, 25, has been raking for The Express. He owns a .302/.413/.755/1.167 slash line with seven home runs and 16 RBI over 15 games. His seven homers currently rank as second-most in the Triple-A West League.
Woodward addressed the media before Wednesday's roster move, where I asked if Jason Martin would be seriously considered for a call-up if Dahl were to miss time.
Now we know the Rangers were going to call him up, but Woodward explained why Martin was going to be the one if Dahl were to miss time.
"I've been following along and keeping up with him," Woodward said. "He has been phenomenal. Not just numbers-wise. Just overall, what we saw in spring training. His attitude. This guy is exactly the kind of competitor that we look for. In the batter's box, he's a savage. This guy does not take anything for granted."
Outside of Adolis García, Martin may have been the most impressive player during Rangers spring training. He slashed .367/.486/.600/1.086 with two home runs and seven RBI in 30 at-bats over 21 Cactus League games. Also like García, Martin was considered for an Opening Day roster spot, but ultimately was optioned to the alternate training site.
Martin was originally an eighth-round pick by the Houston Astros in 2013. He was part of the trade package that sent Gerrit Cole from Pittsburgh to Houston in January 2018.
After bouncing back and forth between Pittsburgh and Triple-A Indianapolis in 2019 and playing only seven big league games in 2020, the Pirates outrighted him off their 40-man roster last November. Martin elected free agency, and the Rangers swooped in and signed him to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training.
Could the Rangers have found yet another diamond in the rough?
Tuesday, May 26, 2021
3:07 PM CT
Angels Stadium | Anaheim, CA
Probables:
TEX: RHP Dane Dunning (2-3, 3.74 ERA)
vs
LAA: RHP Griffin Canning (3-3, 5.56 ERA)
Texas Rangers
TV: Bally Sports Southwest
Radio: 105.3 The Fan, KFLC
Los Angeles Angels
TV: Bally Sports West
Radio: KLAA
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