Rangers lacking depth behind Odor, Andrus

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Shortstop Elvis Andrus and second baseman Rougned Odor were not in the starting lineup in the Rangers' 9-1 loss to the Royals in their Cactus League opener Saturday.

Manager Chris Woodward said both are getting extra work in camp and may not play in a game until Wednesday against the Cubs.

“They want to play together, which I think is important,” Woodward said. “I know Elvis has been working on some things with his swing. Give him a little time to get his feet under him, maybe get some reps in the cage so he doesn’t have to worry about competing with the pitcher.”

The Rangers' starters were Eli White at shortstop and Andy Ibanez at second base. Both are rookies who have never played in the big leagues. The arrangement is a reminder that the Rangers are thin in middle-infield depth and may not carry a traditional middle infielder on the Opening Day roster as they did with Jurickson Profar last season.

Asdrubal Cabrera, the Rangers' projected third baseman, has been a shortstop most of his career. He can play both second and shortstop as needed if the Rangers prefer to carry Patrick Wisdom or Matt Davidson as the extra infielder. But he is unlikely to be a long-term solution if something were to happen to Andrus or Odor.

The Rangers have three veteran utility infielders in camp on Minor League contracts in Nolan Fontana, Chase d’Arnaud and Christian Lopes. Fontana and d’Arnaud are both experienced shortstops with time in the big leagues, while Lopes is mainly a second baseman. The problem is both d’Arnaud and Lopes are sidelined with oblique injuries for the next one-to-two weeks.

“This is going to be a pretty big camp for all of those guys,” Woodward said. “We need to see who can handle that position the best, because if something happens to Elvis and we don’t feel Asdrubal is going to go out there every day at short, who are we going to go with? No added pressure on those guys, but I do need to see who can handle the position on a consistent basis.”

White could end up being one of the most interesting players in camp. He was acquired from the Athletics and is coming off a strong season at Double-A Midland while being used at third, short, second and center field. He played in 130 games and hit .306 with a .388 on-base percentage and a .450 slugging percentage.

What's up in the air is his long-term role. His defense needs to be better at shortstop after 48 errors in 186 Minor League games there. Infield coach Tony Beasley is working to improve his footwork and cut down his throwing errors. White can play multiple positions, but the Rangers want to take a hard look at him at shortstop.

“I want to see what he’s got,” Woodward said. “He is going to be out there quite a bit.”

Injury watch: Pence

Hunter Pence, sidelined with a sore right shoulder, continues to progress with the bat, taking batting practice with the rest of the team before Saturday’s game. He still hasn’t started a throwing program, but he could be used in a game as the designated hitter at some point next week.

Edinson Volquez, who is coming back from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery, threw live batting practice on Saturday. Drew Smyly and Shelby Miller are down to throw BP on Monday. If all goes well, the next step for all three could be under game conditions.

Rangers beat:

• Ariel Jurado gave up two runs on four hits in two innings against the Royals. Woodward said the big hits came off the four-seam fastball. Jurado relies on a sinker but is trying to incorporate the straight fastball as an extra pitch.

• The Rangers have yet to announce the contract signings for their pre-arbitration eligible players, but assistant general manager Shiraz Rehman said most of them are done and doesn’t expect any issues with the rest. Any player who doesn’t reach an agreement can have his contract renewed at a salary determined by the club.

• Sunday’s game against the Brewers is starting at 3:05 p.m. CT rather than 2:05 p.m. because Oregon State and Nebraska are playing a college game in the morning.