Ryan Rua lifted mid-game for Round Rock

The Texas Rangers have a potential roster issue on their hands, as Joey Gallo and Matt Bush are both in the MLB concussion protocol after their mid-game collision today chasing a popup that resulted in both players exiting the game. Gallo and Bush are both staying behind in Arlington today while the rest of the Rangers squad flies to Anaheim for the series against the Angels which starts Monday.

The Rangers have an eight man bullpen right now, so Matt Bush missing a day or two would be no huge problem, but with Carlos Gomez currently on the d.l., the Rangers’ bench currently is Drew Robinson, Phil Gosselin and Brett Nicholas. If Gallo were to miss a game, the team would be down to a two man bench. In addition, it is certainly possible that Gallo, or Bush, could end up being placed on the 7 day concussion d.l.

It appears that Ryan Rua is the contingency plan, should Gallo be unavailable, as Rua has been pulled in the fourth inning of tonight’s Round Rock Express game. He presumably is either heading to Anaheim, or preparing to go out there in the morning, should he be needed. He would presumably platoon in left field with Drew Robinson until Gallo or Gomez can return to action.

If Gallo or Bush were to miss time, it would be particularly problematic given that the Rangers are on the road to start the week against the Angels, who are one of the teams the Rangers are chasing. With Texas continuing to hover around .500 while being on the fringe of the Wild Card hunt, the games against the teams they are chasing are particularly meaningful. The Rangers’ playoff odds aren’t great right now, but a bad series in Anaheim could cripple their chances, and playing shorthanded certainly wouldn’t help things.