Adrian Beltre already has gone back to Texas. His next stop might be the disabled list. After leaving Tuesday night’s game with a strained left quadriceps, Beltre returned to Texas to be examined by team Dr. Keith Meister. While the Rangers were awaiting the results, they already took steps to replace their third baseman by calling up veteran Kevin Kouzmanoff from Triple-A Round Rock and designating pitcher Seth Rosin for assignment. Kouzmanoff was in uniform Wednesday and notched a pinch-hit single in the eighth inning of the Rangers’ 4-2 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
The Rangers won’t make a move to put Beltre on the disabled list until after consulting with Meister. But they clearly have concerns that the slugger might miss time. “Anytime one of your best players is unavailable, you are concerned,” general manager Jon Daniels told MLB.com. “It’s a little bit of an unknown. He has been dealing with hamstring muscles the past few years and knows how to manage them. This spring was the first time he dealt with a quad. Hopefully we’ll get good news and it won’t be long term.”
Beltre missed a week in spring training because of tightness in the quad muscle, although the latest injury isn’t believed to be in the same area as the previous one and therefore may not be related.