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The Texas Rangers have placed Robinson Chirinos on the 60-day disabled list after breaking his right forearm. In only his 16th plate appearance of the season, an inside pitch from Garrett Richards struck Chirinos on the inside of his right forearm as he was swinging through.
To add insult to injury, the pitch was ruled a swing and the at-bat was forced to continue at its 1-1 count. After Rangers' manager Jeff Banister checked on Chirinos, he was cleared to continue playing. The at-bat continued for three more pitches and resulted in a flyout that very nearly made it to the warning track of right field -- Chirinos' opposite field.
After the last pitch -- the only swing Chirinos made -- it was clear that he was hurt as he stumbled, wincing, out of the batter's box.
At least in the interim, it appears Bryan Holaday is the fill-in, as he finished playing the remainder of Saturday's game and played Sunday's complete game.
The Rangers also placed Shin-Soo Choo on the disabled-list and called up rookie Nomar Mazara to fill his place. In his debut, Mazara went 3-for-4 with a home run from the two-spot in the lineup.
The Rangers outfield is built to sustain an injury or two, thanks to their deep farm system. However, coming into the season, the tandem of Robinson Chirinos and Bryan Holaday already appeared to be the team's one weakness. According to MLB.com, the Rangers' top nine prospects are either outfielders or pitchers. In fact, their highest ranked catching prospect is Jose Trevino at number 22 in their system. Currently at High-A, he is nowhere near major league ready.
This led Jon Heyman to theorize that the Rangers could make a push to acquire Jonathan Lucroy from the Milwaukee Brewers.
Lucroy makes even more sense for rangers now, with chirinos injury
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) April 11, 2016
There have been no recent talks with Texas and milwaukee about lucroy -- tho it would seem to be a potential fit
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) April 11, 2016
Looking for outfield help themselves and clearly favoring prospects in a rebuild, the Brewers are rumored to be shopping Lucroy. Their new general manager, David Stearns, has already shown a propensity to make deals. Especially for young, controllable talent.
However, the Brewers don't seem to be in a rush to deal Lucroy. Their star catcher is signed for this season and next. Furthermore, he's coming off of a down year in 2015 thanks in part to some injury troubles. It might be in Stearns' best interest to hold onto Lucroy to prove his value is still high.
Lastly, the Brewers aren't likely to snap up the first deal they see, as the Washington Nationals -- among others -- could also be looking for a catcher. It wouldn't be in the Rangers' best interest to make a deal from necessity.
However, if they're looking to improve their team, which should be a contender in the AL West, the Rangers seem to be in an excellent spot to make a deal for one of the premier catching talents in the game.