Jeff Wilson's pre-game notes say that Nelson Cruz will be out of the lineup at least until the Chicago series, and then Cruz will be limited to DH duty, which means that Vladimir Guerrero is the only backup outfielder right now -- and of course, if he comes into the game in the field, as he did last night, the Rangers have no DH.
Given that the Rangers don't trust Julio Borbon to hit late in a close game, Wilson points out the problem with the Rangers' roster construction:
The Rangers have a need for an outfielder on the bench, especially with Cruz ailing, but one thing keeping the club from making a move is the fear that another team would scoop up either Andres Blanco or Joaquin Arias. Neither has options remaining, and the Rangers are short on infielders in the minors.
If you make a move with one of those guys, it has to be Arias, rather than Blanco, given that Arias apparently can't play shortstop or third base adequately.
But this also highlights the point that a bunch of us have been making for some time...there's no point in having Arias and Blanco both on the bench. Your infielders are going to play almost every day. Cruz has been having hamstring problems, David Murphy should never play against lefties, Julio Borbon may not need to be playing against anyone, and Josh Hamilton struggles against lefties and should probably get regular rest, given his health history.
And yet, rather than having Craig Gentry or Brandon Boggs up here to provide outfield depth, we are carrying both Blanco and Arias, apparently out of a fear that, if we put Arias on waivers, another team would claim him and we'd lose him.
This is mind-boggling, and at this point I am hoping the Cruz injury forces the Rangers to make a decision and get a guy on the 25 man roster who can actually help the team win games.