Rangers Notes: Cactus League Update No. 2

Prince Fielder, hitting just .143 with no extra-base hits this spring, was diagnosed with sleep apnea last week.

Although spring training statistics mean nothing once the regular season begins, the Rangers have looked sharp so far with a Cactus League record of 8-3-1 while leading all MLB teams in batting average (.326) as well as on-base percentage (.389).

The two most significant developments of camp have come from the right side of the Texas infield, where second baseman Rougned Odor has been dealing with tightness in his oblique muscle while first baseman Prince Fielder learned what had been causing him to have restless nights.

Fielder came back to the metroplex to undergo a sleep study last Wednesday, and he returned to the team’s spring complex in Arizona on Friday with a diagnosis of sleep apnea.

“I wasn’t panicking,” Fielder said. “I just wanted to make sure I was okay. I felt like I was sleeping long, but I wasn’t feeling rested. That was my concern, trying to figure out what was wrong with that.

“Now that I know what it is, it’s good. I can breathe through the night now.”

As for Odor, he was scratched from the starting lineup last Tuesday with a strained right oblique muscle and has not played since. In his absence, non-roster invitees Pedro Ciriaco and Drew Robinson have received most of the playing time at second base for Texas.

After taking full batting practice on Sunday, the Rangers are hopeful that Odor can return to action later this week.

Elsewhere on the diamond, outfielders Ryan Rua and Justin Ruggiano have both worked out at first base, where they could be used as a right-handed complement to Fielder or Mitch Moreland.

Ian Desmond is continuing his transition from shortstop to left field, reaching out to four-time Gold Glove award winner Alex Gordon for advice on making the switch from corner infield to corner outfield.

Each of the top four members of the projected starting rotation (Cole Hamels, Derek Holland, Colby Lewis and Martin Perez) have appeared in at least one “A” game, with candidates for the fifth spot (Chi Chi Gonzalez, Jeremy Guthrie, Nick Martinez and Nick Tepesch) receiving starts as well.

Out of the bullpen, newcomer Tony Barnette began the spring with three straight scoreless outings before allowing a pair of runs Friday against Milwaukee, and closer Shawn Tolleson has not appeared in a game yet because of tightness in his lower back.

Beltre Seeks Three-Year Deal

It was reported Wednesday that third baseman Adrian Beltre is interested in a contract extension that could keep him with the Rangers beyond his 40th birthday.

According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Beltre – who will turn 37 in April – would like a three-year deal from the ballclub in the range of $19 million annually, similar to the one Pablo Sandoval received from Boston last winter.

Beltre will earn $18 million this season, which is the last of the six-year deal he signed with Texas in January 2011.

The four-time All-Star batted .287 with 32 doubles last year while playing most of the season with a torn ligament in his left thumb, which he had surgically repaired following the playoffs.

Deglan among First Roster Cuts

Left-handed-hitting catcher Kellin Deglan was one of three players re-assigned to minor-league camp by the Rangers on Saturday, along with pitchers Miles Jaye and Scott Williams.

Deglan, 23, was taken out of high school by Texas in the first round of the 2010 draft (No. 22 overall) and has made a steady climb through the Rangers’ farm system over the past six seasons.

Jaye and Williams, both non-roster righties, had appeared in two Cactus League games apiece for Texas.

(UPDATE: In another round of roster moves Monday afternoon, right-hander Steve Johnson was released while Pat Kivlehan was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock and Jose Leclerc, Yohander Mendez and Connor Sadzeck were optioned to Double-A Frisco.)

Rangers Notes: Long Camp Begins to Wind Down

David Murphy, batting .333 with six RBIs this spring, is set to take over as the everyday left fielder.

With the World Baseball Classic having come and passed, Texas once again has a full roster in Surprise, Ariz., and is continuing to prepare for the season opener against Houston, now just 10 short days away.

No decision has been formally announced regarding the Rangers’ Opening Day starter, but left-hander Matt Harrison would be on schedule to get ball Mar. 31 at Minute Maid Park versus the Astros.

Righty Yu Darvish was a late scratch from his scheduled appearance Monday night against Kansas City, citing mild stiffness in his neck and saying that “If this was a regular season game, I would start.”

Darvish and Harrison figure to lead a near-complete Texas rotation (lacking only a clear No. 5 starter at this point), but there are still several bullpen roles to be won by any among a slew of candidates, among them right-handers Justin Grimm, Josh Lindblom, Evan Meek, Tanner Scheppers and Coty Woods and southpaws Michael Kirkman and Nate Robertson.

Internally, the fifth starting spot has come down to a competition between left-hander Robbie Ross and non-roster invitee Nick Tepesch, although Jon Heyman of CBS Sports recently indicated the Rangers are mulling outside options such as free agent Kyle Lohse and Detroit’s Rick Porcello.

As for the rest of the club, Texas has a split record of 12-12 with two ties through roughly four weeks of Cactus League games, and the Rangers also rank near the middle of the pack in both team batting average (.274) and ERA (4.59).

Depending on how many pitchers Texas carries to begin the season, there could be up to three bench spots yet to be claimed, with Jim Adduci, Jeff Baker, Julio Borbon, Leury Garcia, Jurickson Profar and Yangervis Solarte still in the hunt.

Spring Roster Trimmed by Thirteen

On Tuesday, the club brought the number of players on its current spring roster down to 45 by announcing 13 in-house transactions, sending four players to Triple-A Round Rock and reassigning nine others to minor-league camp.

The biggest name of those optioned to Triple-A was infield prospect Mike Olt, who endured a subpar Cactus League season with just six hits in 31 at-bats (.194) and a team-worst 12 strikeouts. Also sent to Round Rock were left-handed pitcher Jeff Beliveau, outfielder Engel Beltre and right-hander Wilmer Font.

Before Tuesday’s game against the Cubs, the Rangers reassigned eight players to their minor-league camp, then did the same with outfielder Aaron Cunningham after the game.

The original eight included left-hander Neal Cotts, right-handers Collin Balester, Evan Meek and Yoshinori Tateyama, catchers Juan Apodaca and Jose Felix and infielders Brandon Allen and Brandon Snyder.

McClellan Sidelined by Lat Injury

Right-handed pitcher Kyle McClellan was supposed to get his second start of the spring on Sunday against the Mariners, but it was announced Saturday that he had instead been diagnosed with a strained lat muscle in his throwing shoulder.

Making an outside bid to claim a spot in the Rangers’ bullpen or rotation, the 28-year-old McClellan had already missed the first three weeks of camp while rehabbing from a season-ending shoulder procedure last July with the Cardinals.

“Kyle will remain in camp … and he wants to stay part of this franchise moving forward,” assistant GM Thad Levine said. “We anticipate him to rehab with us and make an impact with us, just maybe a little bit later than we anticipated.”

McClellan, who tossed two scoreless innings against the Milwaukee Brewers in his only Cactus League outing this spring, is not expected to resume throwing for up to a month.

Rangers Notes: Greenberg Steps Down as CEO

Chuck Greenberg’s brief stay in Texas included a bankruptcy auction and World Series appearance.

In an unexpected turn of events, the Rangers announced Friday that Chuck Greenberg – who spent several months and millions of his own dollars trying to secure partial ownership in the franchise – is resigning from his duties as the team’s CEO and managing partner.

Club president Nolan Ryan will assume Greenberg’s role as chief executive officer, and he will now oversee all baseball and business operations for the Rangers while reporting directly to the team’s Board of Directors.

“We thank Chuck for his many contributions to the organization, and wish him well in his future endeavors,” said Ray Davis and Bob Simpson, Co-Chairmen of Rangers Baseball Express LLC, in a press release. “At the same time, we are very confident in the continued success and further development of the Texas Rangers under Nolan’s leadership.”

Greenberg’s departure comes less than seven months after he led a group of investors – including Ryan – that submitted the winning bid to purchase the ballclub at a bankruptcy court auction late last summer.

Since then, he had become a popular public face for the Rangers as they marched through the American League playoffs and into the first World Series appearance in team history.

“I have great respect for the Texas Rangers franchise and am enormously proud of all we have accomplished together since August,” Greenberg said in the press release. “Unfortunately, Nolan Ryan, the Co-Chairmen, and I have somewhat different styles.

“While I am disappointed we did not work through our differences, I remain wholeheartedly committed to doing what’s right for the franchise. Together we concluded it is best for all concerned for me to sell my interest back to Rangers Baseball Express and move on.”

No specific details of the apparent falling-out were released, although according to Sports Illustrated baseball writer Jon Heyman (via Twitter), “Greenberg managed to upset a lot of people as managing partner but [his] undoing came after he upset Nolan Ryan.”

Team Makes First Roster Cuts

With less than three weeks to go until Opening Day, the Rangers on Saturday announced their first round of spring cuts while adding veteran pitcher Brett Tomko to the big-league roster.

Texas optioned four players from the 40-man roster to different levels of minor-league camp, including left-hander Zach Phillips (Triple-A Round Rock), outfielder Engel Beltre and right-hander Fabio Castillo (Double-A Frisco), and right-hander Wilmer Font (Class-A Myrtle Beach).

In addition, right-hander Brett Tomko – who signed a minor-league contract with Texas last month – was added to the team’s major-league camp as a non-roster player. Tomko, 37, missed all of the 2010 season while recovering from a nerve problem in his right arm.

Saturday’s moves leave the Rangers with a total of 52 players on their big-league spring training roster, including 36 on the 40-man roster and 16 non-roster invitees.

Beltre Close to Spring Debut

Third baseman Adrian Beltre, who has been sidelined with a calf strain throughout spring training, could see his first game action as soon as Monday, according to Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas.

Beltre, a two-time Gold Glove award winner, signed a six-year deal with the Rangers in January worth $96 million, and his presence at third is expected to shift veteran Michael Young into a designated hitter/super utility role.

Rangers Notes: Texas Drops Exhibition Opener, 4-2

Yoshinori Tateyama gave up a hit and a walk in his Rangers debut on Sunday but held on to pitch a scoreless seventh inning against Kansas City.

The Rangers opened their 2011 Cactus League schedule on Sunday with a 4-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium in Arizona, though the game did provide some bright spots for Texas.

Left-hander C.J. Wilson and right-hander Dave Bush, who is trying to earn a role at the back end of the rotation, combined to give up two earned runs on four hits over the first four innings.

Wilson and Bush were followed on the mound by a succession of right-handers for one inning apiece – Mark Lowe, Tanner Scheppers, Yoshinori Tateyama, Ryan Tucker and Pedro Strop – who held the Royals to just one unearned run the rest of the way.

Outfielder Doug Deeds hit a two-run homer off Royals right-hander Louis Coleman in the sixth inning to provide the Rangers with their only scoring of the afternoon.

Defensively, errors by third baseman Michael Young and center fielder Julio Borbon each allowed a run to score, though Borbon did contribute with a double off left-hander Bruce Chen in the sixth.

Beltre Sidelined with Calf Injury

Newly-acquired third baseman Adrian Beltre could miss anywhere from two weeks to a month with a Grade 1 strain in his right calf, it was announced Friday.

While initial reports said he would miss 10 to 14 days, Jon Heyman of SI.com said on Saturday (via Twitter) that he “heard [Beltre] could be out a month,” which would put his status in doubt for the season opener on Apr.1.

After hitting .321 with 28 home runs and a league-leading 49 doubles for Boston last season, the 31-year-old Beltre signed a six-year deal with the Rangers in January worth $96 million.

Kinsler Set to Bat Leadoff

On Saturday, manager Ron Washington announced his plans to have second baseman Ian Kinsler bat leadoff this season while dropping shortstop Elvis Andrus – who spent much of last year as the leadoff hitter – to second in the lineup.

Meanwhile, designated hitter Michael Young will move from No. 2 in the batting order down to Kinsler’s old slot at No. 6, and Adrian Beltre should fill the cleanup spot (No. 4) left vacant by the departure of Vladimir Guerrero.

Like last season, outfielders Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz and Julio Borbon are expected to bat third, fifth and ninth, respectively, although the lineup would likely be altered on days when David Murphy starts in the outfield.

Seven More Players Agree to Terms

The Rangers announced Saturday that they had agreed to salary terms with six of the seven pre-arbitration eligible players on their roster who were not under contract for the upcoming season, including All-Star shortstop Elvis Andrus and right-handed reliever Alexi Ogando.

Andrus, the team leader with 32 stolen bases and 64 walks last year, is set to make $452,180 this season while Ogando, who emerged as a key bullpen component down the stretch in 2010, has agreed to a salary of $430,150.

Also agreeing to terms on Saturday were infielder Andres Blanco ($520,000), outfielder Craig Gentry ($416,000), and right-handers Omar Beltre and Eric Hurley ($415,000 each).

The only player not to agree to salary terms Saturday was right-hander Pedro Strop, though he signed a one-year deal on Sunday worth $416,000, according to Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas.