Business as usual as Cruz, Rangers await word

BOSTON -- Nelson Cruz was in right field for the Rangers on Wednesday night. That will continue to be the plan unless the team is told something different by Major League Baseball regarding an investigation into Biogenesis, a closed-down Miami clinic that allegedly sold illegal substances to a number of Major League players.

Right now the Rangers have heard nothing. They have not had any contact with the Commissioner's Office, and Cruz has not talked to anybody involved in the investigation. A Miami newspaper included Cruz in a January report as being linked to Biogenesis, but nobody in an official capacity has asked to meet with him.

"Not yet," Cruz said. "I expected something before [the World Baseball Classic in March], but nothing happened. I don't know."

There has been speculation and conjecture that players caught dealing illegally with Biogenesis could face as much as 50-game suspensions. The Rangers have made no extraordinary plans as to what might happen if they lost Cruz for an extended period of time. Manager Ron Washington suggested he would likely use both Craig Gentry and Leonys Martin in the outfield and call somebody up from the Minor Leagues as a reserve. But the Rangers are refraining comment on the subject until something official transpires.

"We've been through this already," Washington said.

The Biogenesis investigation appeared stalled until ESPN reported Tuesday that former clinic owner Anthony Bosch has agreed to cooperate with MLB's investigation. He is expected to speak with them in the next week or two, and that will likely determine where the investigation is headed.

"It's something you don't want to be involved with, but it is what it is," Cruz said.