Oh deal with Rangers still to be finalized

Free-agent reliever yet to join club; Banister limiting positional movement; Perez, Hamels progressing

February 15th, 2018

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Rangers went through their first workout for pitchers and catchers on Thursday, and free-agent reliever was not there.
The Rangers are reportedly in agreement on a Major League contract with Oh pending a physical. But the team has not announced anything or even acknowledged the possibility.
"We have nothing close to being ready to announce," general manager Jon Daniels said.
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Oh is in the Phoenix area, and he has been working out. He had a bullpen session earlier this week while working out with the LG Twins of the Korean Baseball Organization. They are holding their camp in Papago Park on the east side of Phoenix at the Athletics' former facilities.
Daniels did acknowledge that the Rangers may not be done acquiring players, given the number of free agents who are still out there.
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"I don't think any team is done," Daniels said. "Some teams are more active than others, I assume. But when you have this many players available, we have been in touch with agents. We have been in touch with other teams. Definitely, more conversations this time of the year than I can ever remember in recent years past."
Banister to limit moving around early
Joey Gallo, and are unique in that they can play both the infield and the outfield. But manager Jeff Banister said he doesn't want them moving around too much early in Spring Training.
Gallo will be locked in at first base, his likely position on Opening Day. Profar will stay in the infield, concentrating on shortstop and second base, as he tries to win a job as the utility infielder. Robinson will stay in the outfield as he competes with , and for the left-field spot.
"We just want to give these guys an opportunity to go out and play," Banister said. "We can adjust later if we have to."
Daniels: Rangers will be cautious on Perez
, who is dealing with a broken bone in his right (non-throwing) elbow, said he expects to be ready for the start of the season. That would be ahead of the original diagnosis of mid-to-late April, but Daniels is not ready to declare that to be the case.

"We always prefer to paint a little less optimistic picture," Daniels said. "But he has progressed well. We are going to take it day by day and see how it goes. He's able to do everything but we're holding him out of [pitchers' fielding practice], no reason to push him there. It does not appear he is far behind."
Hamels feeling better
Cole Hamels was ready to go on Thursday after going through a bad case of the flu this winter. It forced him to miss both the team's Awards Dinner and FanFest in January.

"My glands didn't drain, so I had two infections," Hamels said. "I had the flu, and then I had a really serious sinus infection, and so then I'm on two different types of drugs, and my glands and my face didn't drain, so I just swelled up. It was pretty funny.
"At first, it was like, shoot ... you just have a reaction, have to drink a gallon of Benadryl to get it down because it's not going down. ... I'm like, 'Maybe they gave me a drug I was allergic to,' because I was just swelling up, and I wasn't swelling up anywhere else."
Rangers beat
• The Rangers had their first workout limited by rain and wet grounds. Their pitchers were able to do their throwing, but not pitchers' fielding practice. Said Banister, "We are not going to risk putting them out on a wet field on Day 1."
has pitched six years in the Venezuelan Winter League, but that is nothing compared to right-handed reliever , who is in camp on a Minor League contract. Guerra, who is from that country, has pitched 10 straight seasons in the Venezuelan Winter League.
• Reliever , who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, is up to 75 feet in his long-toss program. His surgery was last May and he is hoping for a return after the All-Star break in late July.