ARLINGTON -- Rangers right-hander Tyson Ross turned 30 on Saturday and celebrated by playing catch for the second straight day.
Ross said his back spasms have subsided. He will take Sunday off and possibly increase his throwing program on Monday. There is no timetable as to when he'll get back on the mound.
"I've thrown in the last couple of days here and making progress and feeling good, getting that range of motion," Ross said. "So far so good. Just playing catch. With all that time off, they just wanted to make sure everything is feeling good before getting on a mound again."
Ross, who was signed as a free agent in the offseason, is recovering from October surgery to alleviate issues caused by thoracic outlet syndrome. He was supposed to throw four innings and 60 pitches in an extended spring game on April 13, but he was scratched because of the spasms.
The Rangers wanted the spasms to subside completely before Ross resumed throwing.
"Everything was on a great projector up until this incident, but I think I'll be able to move past it and be better because of it, just a small adjustment in the rehab plan," Ross said. "I'm looking forward to continue the process and go back out there against competition."
Griffin deals with gout
Gout is characterized as recurrent attacks of red, tender, hot and swollen joints. That's what A.J. Griffin is dealing with in his left ankle and why he was scratched from Saturday's start against the Royals.
"My dad has been getting it for 20 years," Griffin said. "I've had it before, but never this severe. I don't need crutches today so we are ahead of the curve. I just woke up and there it was. It was swollen big time. It was too big to put my sock over it. I had zero range of motion. I have a lot of range of motion today."
Griffin last pitched on Monday, throwing six scoreless innings in a 7-0 victory over the Athletics. He is eligible to come off the 10-day disabled list on Friday, and that's when his spot in the rotation comes up again. It's too early to tell if Griffin will be ready.
Rangers beat
• Pitcher Mike Hauschild, who was designated for assignment on Thursday, cleared waivers on Saturday. As a Rule 5 Draft pick, he was offered back to the Astros for $50,000 and they accepted him. Hauschild has been outrighted to Triple-A Fresno.
• Infielder Hanser Alberto, who is on the disabled list with pain in his right shoulder, is going to attempt another throwing program on Sunday. He has been sidelined since mid-March and has not been able to sustain a throwing program for any significant length of time without feeling any pain.

• Robinson Chirinos, batting sixth, and Joey Gallo, in the eighth spot, both hit a pair home runs on Friday night. It's only the second time in the past three seasons that two Major League teammates have hit a pair of home runs in a game while batting sixth or lower in the lineup. The other pair were Chirinos and Rougned Odor on June 15, 2016.
• Left-handed pitcher Joe Palumbo, who is ranked as the Rangers' No. 6 prospect by MLBpipeline.com, is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery early next week and will miss the remainder of the season.