Robinson Chirinos leaves game with rolled ankle

Texas Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos left today’s intrasquad game after rolling his ankle on a play at home plate. Per John Blake, Chirinos had x-rays, which were negative, and will be re-evaluated tomorrow.

Chirinos is expected to get the bulk of the playing time at catcher, after re-joining Texas this past offseason as a free agent. The Rangers declined to exercise their option on Chirinos after the 2018 season, a controversial move that looked that much worse when he signed for more money with the Houston Astros, while Texas got less than no production from their catchers.

This is a reminder of why the Rangers have so many catchers in camp...there are daily intrasquad games, and guys can get banged up. I expect the Rangers will start the 2020 season with Chirinos, Jeff Mathis and Jose Trevino all on their 30 man roster, but if someone isn’t ready to go, Nick Ciuffo or Tim Federowicz could end up grabbing a spot.