Chirinos, Corporan injuries continue to linger

ARLINGTON -- The Rangers' joint operating agreement between catchers Chris Gimenez and Bobby Wilson will continue until at least the beginning of September.

Starting catcher Robinson Chirinos appears to have had a setback in his recovery from a strained left shoulder and primary backup Carlos Corporan admitted that he will likely need offseason surgery on his sprained left thumb.

Chirinos started taking batting practice on Friday, but it didn't go well. He is still experiencing soreness in the shoulder and will back off for at least a few days.

"The catching is fine," Chirinos said. "It is the swinging that I feel it."

Chirinos has been on the disabled list since July 31 and was eligible to be activated on Sunday. Unless he makes rapid progress, it will likely be September before he is ready.

"I want to be on the field helping the team win, so sitting on the bench is not any fun," Chirinos said. "Hopefully Tuesday it will be good enough to start swinging."

Corporan has been taking batting practice and catching in the bullpen. He has been sidelined since the All-Star break and already had to be called back from one rehab assignment because the thumb wasn't ready.

He believes he'll be able to help the Rangers before the season is over, but he knows the thumb will not be 100 percent.

"I might get it fixed in the offseason," Corporan said. "They want to know if I can play through it. We all know the situation. It's not 100 percent, so it's something I'll have to play through and get it fixed in the offseason. Every guy is important and you never know what will happen, so I'm trying to get to help my team."

With Chirinos and Corporan sidelined, Gimenez and Wilson went into Sunday's series finale against the Rays hitting a combined .311 (14-for-45) with two home runs and 13 RBIs.

"The emphasis was on the defensive side, and we're seeing that," manager Jeff Banister said. "We haven't seen the throwing aspect, but we have seen the catching, the game-calling, [blocking] balls in the dirt, the in-game adjustments with the pitchers have been outstanding. To add the offensive flair is a huge plus, more than what we expected."

Both were added to the roster on July 31 when Gimenez was called up from Triple-A Round Rock and Wilson was claimed off waivers from the Rays.

"I'm just trying to ride is as long as possible," Gimenez said. "It has been fun. The circumstances aren't what you want. A couple of guys got hurt. That's not something you want. I'm just doing what I can to stick around.

"Robbie is one of my good friends. Everybody would like to have him back, me too. He is a really good catcher and to have a guy like that out is tough. This is his team and his job."

Worth noting

• Outfielder Delino DeShields turned 23 on Sunday. Pitcher Yu Darvish turned 29 and assistant equipment manager David Bales also celebrated his birthday.

• Derek Holland threw in the bullpen on Sunday. The Rangers will see how he comes through that session and then decide when he will pitch again. The Rangers are listing Cole Hamels, Chi Chi Gonzalez and Martin Perez as their starters against the Mariners, Monday through Wednesday.

• Josh Hamilton was given a day off on Sunday to rest his sore left knee. Manager Jeff Banister said it was planned.