Notes

RANGERS Beltre strains quad

ARLINGTON, Texas - Adrian Beltre has a mild left quadriceps strain that will keep him out of the lineup for now, but the Texas Rangers plan to wait and see if their third baseman can avoid a trip to the disabled list.

“We’re going to kind of play it conservatively. We’re going to give him a few days,” General Manager Jon Daniels said Thursday. “We’ve got some flexibility with our roster right now.”

Beltre came out of Tuesday’s game at Boston, then returned home for an MRI and exam by team physician Dr. Keith Meister. The Rangers were off Thursday before a 10-day homestand.

Daniels said Meister was “pleasantly surprised” that the strain wasn’t as severe as initially thought. Beltre has had a history of quad and hamstring issues, and knows how to manage those.

The Rangers have roster flexibility until they have to activate right-hander Colby Lewis for his first start since July 2012. He has been rehabbing from hip surgery that followed elbow surgery.

“Until we activate him, we’ve got that extra spot. Originally we were thinking of starting Colby on Saturday,” Daniels said. “We’re going to push it back. We could push it back as late as Tuesday. That will give us some time for Adrian to see how he’s feeling and for our medical staff to evaluate him, whether or not he’ll ultimately go on the DL, or that period of time will be enough to where he can manage.”

Garcia suspended 50 games

Minor league pitcher Martire Garcia has been suspended 50 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

The commissioner’s office said Garcia of the Class AA Frisco RoughRiders was penalized Thursday. He tested positive for the banned female fertility drug Clomiphene.

The 24-year-old Garcia had pitched four scoreless innings for Frisco, striking out six. He began his pro career in the Minnesota organization in 2007 and had mostly recently pitched in Japan before joining Texas.

Garcia was the 22nd player suspended this year under the minor league drug program.

Garcia was penalized 50 games because his sample was collected before the penalty for first violations was increased to 80 games. The change began under the minor league program for samples collected after April 1.

BRAVES Simmons jams wrist

ATLANTA - Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons has a jammed right wrist and was replaced in Thursday’s starting lineup by Ramiro Pena.

Simmons was listed in Atlanta’s original lineup for Thursday night’s game against the New York Mets. The Braves said he was hurt in Wednesday night’s game and is day to day.

Simmons made a strong defensive play in the second inning when he went to his right to field a grounder by Travis d’Arnaud. Simmons slipped but recovered to throw out d’Arnaud from his knees. In the fifth, Simmons was out at the plate when he collided with d’Arnaud and fell to the ground. He remained in the game.

Pena, who played in seven games at shortstop in 2013, will make his first start of 2014.

WHITE SOX Outfielder out for season

CHICAGO - The Chicago White Sox say outfielder Avisail Garcia will miss the rest of the season because of a tear in his left shoulder.

An MRI taken Thursday at Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center revealed the torn labrum. He is scheduled to have surgery next week.

Garcia was hurt while trying to make a diving catch on DJ LeMahieu’s drive to right field in the sixth inning of Wednesday’s loss at Colorado. The ball was jarred loose when Garcia hit the ground.

The injury is a big blow to the White Sox, who are trying to bounce back from a 99-loss season. Garcia has batted .298 since being acquired from Detroit last summer in the three-team trade that sent Jake Peavy to Boston.

With Garcia on the 15-day disabled list, Chicago recalled outfielder Jordan Danks from Class AAA Charlotte.

MLB La Russa in awe

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. - Tony La Russa has toured the Baseball Hall of Fame, and said he’s “getting overwhelmed.”

La Russa, the third-winningest manager in major league history, took in the sights Thursday in preparation for his induction this summer.

The 69-year-old La Russa, who led Oakland to the 1989 World Series title and the St. Louis Cardinals to championships in 2006 and 2011, was unanimously elected in December by the Hall of Fame’s expansion-era committee along with former managerial colleagues Bobby Cox and Joe Torre.

They will be inducted July 27 along with pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine and slugger Frank Thomas, who were elected in January in their first time on the writers’ ballot.

La Russa called the scenario perfect because Cox and Torre were contemporaries and are right behind him in victories.

Sports, Pages 22 on 04/11/2014

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