WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Not all who become injured are lost (for the season).
Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger could potentially be activated from the injured list Monday, manager Bruce Bochy said, and rejoin the club before the start of a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Burger, who’s been sidelined since Aug. 18 with a left wrist sprain, left the Rangers in the midst of their series against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park to continue his rehab at the team’s Surprise, Ariz. complex. He hit in the cages and on the field prior to Saturday’s game and faced live pitching in Arizona Sunday.
“Jake’s doing well,” Bochy said before Sunday’s series finale in West Sacramento. “He had a really good session [Saturday] in the cage and on the field in BP.”
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Burger had been one of the team’s hottest hitters before he exited an Aug. 17 game against the Toronto Blue Jays with what was originally classified as wrist discomfort. He slashed .467/.529/.667 in the seven games prior to his injury and had yielded a 1.097 OPS in 21 second-half games.
Outfielder Sam Haggerty, out since Aug. 17 with left ankle inflammation, remains further behind. He still cannot run and has participated in little baseball activity because of that. Bochy estimated that he is at least a week away from a return. Haggerty was one of the team’s most effective weapons against left-handed pitchers with a .318/.376/.435 slash line vs. southpaws.
The Rangers have also begun to discuss the next steps for right-handed relief pitcher Chris Martin after a successful minor league rehab appearance at Double-A Round Rock Friday night. The 39-year-old has been on the injured list since July 21 because of a left calf strain and has had a start-and-stop ramp-up. Friday, though, he pitched a scoreless inning and successfully covered first base on a defensive play without any issue. His 2.36 ERA in 39 games pitched out of the bullpen remains the lowest of any reliever that has spent the entirety of this season with the big league club.
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