The Rangers have to cut down their 30-man roster to 28 before Thursday afternoon’s game against the A's. The loss of two players may force Texas to put second baseman Rougned Odor on the injured list, and it may mean the team can no longer carry three catchers.

Odor has been sidelined since Saturday with tightness in his right oblique muscle. He tried taking batting practice on Tuesday, and it did not go well, leaving him out of the lineup for the third straight game.

Manager Chris Woodward said if Odor doesn’t start making progress, then the injured list becomes a possibility.

“Obviously, I don’t want to do that, because as soon as Rougie is ready to play, I want to play him,” Woodward said. “We need him right now. If he is going to be out for a number of days, then yeah, it would make sense. We can’t have a three- or four-man bench with a 28-man roster, it would be kind of silly.”

That goes for the catchers as well. The Rangers opened the season with three catchers, but that’s a luxury they can’t afford with a smaller roster.

“Probably not, if I am being honest,” Woodward said. “It’s tough to think the value of that is as much as having another body in a more versatile role. It would be tough to keep three.”

Robinson Chirinos is Texas' starting catcher, with Jeff Mathis and Jose Trevino sharing the backup role. They both have assets, but Trevino also has options. The Rangers could put him on the taxi squad, a spot currently occupied by Tim Federowicz as the traveling fourth catcher.

Montero close to being activated
Right-handed reliever Rafael Montero, who is on the injured list with a strained right forearm, pitched one inning in a simulated game on Wednesday at the Rangers' alternate training site. He could be activated as early as Friday, when the team opens a three-game series against the Angels.

“Actually, looked really sharp,” Minor League pitching co-coordinator Jono Armold said. “He’s ready to go, breaking ball was crisp today, fastball velocity was there. Looked good.”

Rangers beat
• Left-hander Wes Benjamin threw three innings on Wednesday at Globe Life Field. Armold said Benjamin is probably the leading candidate to get the call if the Rangers need another starter. Texas is also stretching out Taylor Hearn at the alternate training site as a rotation possibility.

• Outfielder Eli White, who sustained a strained oblique muscle early in Summer Camp, is taking batting practice and doing fielding drills at the alternate training site. The next step will be simulated game at-bats this weekend.

• Left-hander Cole Ragans, the Rangers' No. 1 pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, is progressing in his throwing program and is throwing off a mound again. He has undergone Tommy John surgery each of the past two years.

• Right-hander Owen White, the Rangers' second-round Draft pick in 2018, is up to two innings in his bullpen sessions. He underwent Tommy John surgery 15 months ago. Ragans and White are doing their throwing back home in Florida with the Minor League season canceled.