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: Productive ’Pen Intact Ahead of Camp

Late-inning reliever Sam Dyson is part of a strong Texas bullpen that was reshuffled at last year’s trade deadline.

One of the reasons Texas was able to rebound from a woeful last-place finish in 2014 and win the A.L. West crown in 2015 was the strength of its bullpen, which had been bolstered by the emergence of rookie Keone Kela and the July acquisitions of Jake Diekman and Sam Dyson.

Those three are each set to return for a full season with the Rangers, and they’ll be joined by newcomers Tony Barnette and Tom Wilhelmsen as part of the bridge leading to second-year closer Shawn Tolleson.

Texas manager Jeff Banister is confident in his team’s relief corps and its ability to protect a lead in the middle or late innings of a ballgame.

“You can dream it up to be a pretty powerful bullpen, and we have the luxury to shorten the game if we need to,” Banister said. “Our bullpen has an opportunity to be as strong a bullpen as there is in baseball.”

Diekman and Dyson both proved to be powerful weapons down the stretch last year as Texas chased and eventually passed Houston in the division race.

After joining the Rangers in separate deals at the non-waiver trade deadline, Diekman and Dyson combined to allow just nine earned runs in 53 innings pitched (1.53 ERA) with 50 strikeouts against 11 walks.

The Houston bullpen, by comparison, posted an ERA of 4.78 over the final two months of the regular season as the Astros watched what had been a seven-game division lead slip away.

The presumed depth of the Texas ‘pen means that the ballclub could have a surplus of capable relievers on its hands, with Sam Freeman, Luke Jackson and Tanner Scheppers among those expected to compete for the remaining spots.

Pitchers and catchers will report to the team’s spring training facility in Surprise, Ariz., next Thursday, and the first full-squad workout will take place the following week.

All Arbitration Cases Wrapped Up

The Rangers reached an agreement with first baseman Mitch Moreland on a one-year contract on Wednesday, just hours before the deadline to avoid an arbitration hearing.

Moreland, 30, will earn $5.7 million this season, his final year of arbitration eligibility. He had filed for a salary of $6 million while the team countered with a $4.675 million offer.

Relievers Jake Diekman ($1.255) and Shawn Tolleson ($3.275 million), meanwhile, had each signed one-year deals to avoid arbitration during the final week of January.

Texas Signs Righties Johnson, Tepesch

Right-hander Steve Johnson agreed to a minor-league deal with the Rangers on Jan. 29 that includes an invitation to big-league camp in Arizona.

Johnson had been designated for assignment by the Orioles in early December. The 28-year-old made only six appearances for Baltimore last season, but he posted an impressive 4.19 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 32 games for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides.

Also signing a minor-league contract with Texas late last month was right-hander Nick Tepesch, who missed the entire 2015 campaign due to shoulder injuries and underwent surgery for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome in August.

Tepesch had made a combined 39 starts and three relief outings over the previous two seasons, striking out 132 batters in 219 innings of work.