BOSTON -- Third baseman Adrian Beltre is headed to Arizona to start playing games at extended spring camp, and he could be activated off the disabled list as early as Monday.
Beltre had a workout at Fenway Park on Wednesday and then took a flight to Arizona. He will report to the Rangers' facility in Surprise for a minimum of three days before he is re-evaluated on Sunday.
Beltre will play in a mixture of camp and extended spring games. The main goal is to get as many at-bats as possible, but also test his physical conditioning under simulated game situations.
"Adrian has progressed really well through all the different treatments and game plan the training staff laid out," general manager Jon Daniels said. "Adrian is not the most patient guy, but he complied with the plan. With a guy like Adrian, it's more about getting up to game speed with movements you can't synthesize in practice: quick reactions, running the bases, stopping and starting, the ability to get out there unscripted. We'll see how the next few days go and then we'll see."
If all goes well, Beltre could be activated on Monday, when the Rangers return home to open a three-game series with the Rays. He has been on the disabled list since the beginning of the season with a strained right calf muscle.