Rosenthal: Cruz part of Rangers post-season plans

Ken Rosenthal has a new notes column up, in which he covers a variety of different issues pertaining to a number of different teams.  Of particular interest to Rangers fans, however, is what he has to say about Nelson Cruz:

Suspended Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz recently spent three days working out at the team’s complex in the Dominican Republic. Club officials are trying to put together a plan for him to work out briefly with the major league club before he heads to the club’s spring training facility in Surprise, Ariz.

The Joint Drug Agreement allows players to continue training in such fashion, and the Rangers have told Cruz they want him to be an option if they get to the postseason. It’s difficult to imagine that Cruz, even after his 50-game suspension, would not be one of the club’s best 25 players.

This would seem to be a no-brainer, but ESPN's Pedro Gomez had previously reported that it was "highly unlikely" that either Cruz or Detroit Tiger shortstop Jhonny Peralta would play in the postseason.

Ian Kinsler was one of several Ranger players who has expressed his support for Cruz, saying he "absolutely" wants Cruz back with the team after his suspension for the postseason.  Cruz's role on the team would seem to depend on how some other players, including David Murphy and Lance Berkman, are performing when the playoffs roll around, but it is hard to believe that Texas wouldn't be better off, at a minimum, having Cruz as the team's DH in the postseason instead of Jurickson Profar.