Scott Heineman had surgery, will miss first month

Scott Heineman, Texas Rangers outfielder who was added to the 40 man roster in November, had surgery on his left shoulder in December, it was announced today. Heineman is expected to be ready to play in rehab games in late April.

Heineman is a righthanded thrower, and so this is on his non-throwing shoulder. He’s the second Rangers upper-level minor leaguer to have had surgery on his left non-throwing shoulder recently, as Jose Trevino’s season was ended in August due to surgery on his left shoulder.

Heineman, 26, had a solid 2018 campaign for the Rangers, putting up a .306/.375/.445 slash line between Frisco and Round Rock. Heineman can play all three positions, and was viewed as a potential candidate for a reserve role on the major league roster to start 2019, though it seemed most likely he would start the year at AAA Nashville and be available to come up if a major league outfielder was going to miss time.

With Heineman on the shelf, the Rangers’ minor league outfield depth on the 40 man roster consists of Carlos Tocci and John Andreoli, though Andreoli could end up on the waiver wire before spring training is up.