The defending AL West champion Texas Rangers received some bad news on the eve of Opening Day. Veteran third baseman Adrian Beltre will open the regular season on the disabled list after battling a calf injury throughout spring training.
Adrian Beltre will start season on Dl
— TR Sullivan (@Sullivan_Ranger) April 1, 2017
This gives power-hitting youngster Joey Gallo an opportunity to break camp with the 25-man roster. Though, the more immediate concern here is how the soon-to-be 38-year-old Beltre recovers from the injury.
While the four-time All-Star has proven to be durable during his illustrious 19-year career, there has to be some concern that age is catching up to the third baseman.
Beltre posted yet another tremendous season in 2016, putting up a .300 batting average with 32 homers and a team-high 104 RBI.