DLLS Texas Rangers spring rundown: Catching up before position players’ first workout

Some nuggets have fallen through the DLLS Sports cracks amid all the videos and feature stories being captured at Texas Rangers spring training.

SURPRISE, Ariz. — Not a day of Texas Rangers spring training has gone by without something to write or tweet about, and if you’re not following me or the DLLS Rangers account on Twitter, do so at once by clicking on those handy links.

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Anyone following those accounts hasn’t missed a sliver of Rangers news over the first five days of workouts for pitchers and catchers. The first full-squad workout is Monday, and the first Cactus League game is Friday.

Time flies early in spring training.

Some items are worth delving into a little more deeply than just up to 280 characters. It’s time to clean up those nuggets now.

Gray not closing

Despite all the talk and speculation and the cries to find a closer, Jon Gray said that no one with the Rangers has approached him about making the switch to the ninth inning from the first.

Gray is a starter and is going to remain a starter indefinitely even though he thinks he could do well with it and have some fun.

“I really haven’t thought about it,” manager Bruce Bochy said Friday. “That’s a nice quality to have when you have somebody that’s gone down there and he showed me he can do it, he’s comfortable doing it. It’s not in our focus right now. We need to get him ready as a starter.”

Bochy said things might change as the Rangers get into the regular season. They added five relievers with big-league experience in the offseason but lost an All-Star closer (Kirby Yates), a veteran set-up man (David Robertson) and a postseason hero (Jose Leclerc).

Chris Martin, back with the Rangers for a second go-round, has the edge in experience and could get the first crack at closing. The Rangers continue to peruse the free-agent market, though president of baseball operations Chris Young said nothing is cooking.

However, the Rangers added JT Chargois on Wednesday and brought back Joe Barlow on Sunday, both on minor-league deals.

Pederson getting reacquainted

Joc Pederson didn’t mince his words about his time at first base with the Dodgers, saying it wasn’t very successful. He also tried his hand at it during his time with the Giants, but ultimately wasn’t needed.

He’s been walking around the back fields the past few days with a first baseman’s glove, one on loan from former MLB first baseman Brandon Belt. Pederson said he wants to work this spring to be good enough at first base to give the Rangers an option and a little roster flexibility.

Although a couple of springs ago, the time at first with the Giants helped.

“Just getting those reps, slowing the game down,” he said. “I know the last time [with the Dodgers] the game was going pretty fast. So, I just learned a lot. I’m going go worked with the guys here and put in the work.”

Jake Burger is set to replace Nathaniel Lowe at first base, and Pederson is expected to be the primary designated hitter. If Pederson is adequate in the outfield or first base, Bochy could use the DH spot to give a lineup regular a day off his feet while keeping his bat in the lineup.

Pederson could see time at first in games beginning next weekend, when Burger leaves the team to be with his family while his infant daughter undergoes heart surgery Feb. 24.

R. Garcia update

Asked on Sunday morning for an update on Garcia, Bochy thought the question was in reference to outfielder Adolis Garcia. There’s another Garcia in town, Robert, one of the new relievers who is expected to be a cog in the bullpen.

He’s been down with nerve irritation in his forearm, a sensation he described as being akin to someone holding a lighter under his wrist on each pitch. That has cooled down with the help of a cortisone shot, and the Rangers have him tentatively scheduled to throw a bullpen session Tuesday.

As for the outfielder, Adolis Garcia will be full-go for the first workout after rehabbing a sprained left knee suffered in the second-to-last game of last season.

Teodo throws

Right-handed prospect Emiliano Teodo threw a bullpen session Sunday morning, nearly 24 hours after cutting short a bullpen session because of discomfort in his thumb.

Teodo, one of the hardest throwers in the organization, was added to the 40-man roster in November to avoid exposure to the Rule 5 draft. The Rangers’ plan is to continue developing him as a starting pitcher, though many believe he ends up as a late-inning reliever.

Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com