Injured Cruz exits Rangers' loss early

By T.R. Sullivan and Cash Kruth

August 3, 2013

Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz left Saturday's 4-2 loss to the A's with an injury he sustained while running out a ground ball in the eighth inning.

The injury may have been related to a bruised left quad Cruz has been dealing with since Tuesday, when he was forced to leave a 14-11 win over the Angels. Cruz appeared to be limping on Saturday after making a running catch in the fifth inning.

The 33-year-old All-Star entered Saturday hitting .272 with 26 home runs, 75 RBIs and an .845 on-base plus slugging percentage.

Cruz is one of about 10 players expected to be suspended by Major League Baseball on Monday for alleged involvement with the Biogenesis, a South Florida clinic that allegedly distributed performance-enhancing substances to certain players.

"I have no control over that; I'm here to play baseball," Cruz said on Tuesday of MLB's investigation.

T.R. Sullivan is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Postcards from Elysian Fields, and follow him on Twitter @Sullivan_Ranger. Cash Kruth is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @cashkruth.