SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Rangers catcher Brett Nicholas is scheduled to undergo surgery on Friday to repair the medial meniscus in his left knee. He is expected to be out until sometime in April.
Nicholas, a left-handed hitter with power, has spent most of the past three seasons with Triple-A Round Rock while working on his catching skills. He played in 101 games for Round Rock last year, and he hit .288 with 13 home runs, 58 RBIs and a .458 slugging percentage.
Nicholas also played in 15 games for the Rangers, hitting .275 with two home runs and four RBIs. His first home run came off All-Star reliever Dellin Betances on April 25, and his other came against Blue Jays pitcher R.A. Dickey in a 2-1 victory on May 2 in Toronto.
• Spring Training: Schedule | Information | Tickets
Nicholas is part of the Rangers' catching depth behind Jonathan Lucroy and Robinson Chirinos, who are both playing in the World Baseball Classic. Texas still has veteran catchers Steven Lerud, Brett Hayes and A.J. Jimenez in camp, as well as rookies Jose Trevino and Patrick Cantwell from its system. Hayes started Thursday against Team Venezuela.
"We're still in a good spot," manager Jeff Banister said. "I still think our depth is really good … better than most as far as depth is concerned."
Rangers beat
• Rangers infielder Jurickson Profar, playing for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic, sustained a jammed middle finger in his left hand during Thursday's game against Israel. Texas doesn't think it's serious, but the team is in contact with the Netherlands' medical staff.
• Shortstop Elvis Andrus has yet to play in a game while finishing his recovery from offseason surgery, but he could make his Cactus League debut this weekend. Andrus had surgery to repair a sports hernia, and Banister said, "He is getting really close."
• Tyson Ross threw off the mound for a second time this spring, throwing 20 pitches in the bullpen. He is recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery and will be sidelined until at least mid-May.