Choo aims to get bat going after 2-game break
Rangers' right fielder posted club record-low batting average for April
ARLINGTON -- Outfielder Shin-Soo Choo's sabbatical lasted just two games. He was back in the Rangers' lineup Friday night after sitting out Tuesday and Wednesday against the Mariners.
Manager Jeff Banister wanted to get Choo a couple of days off to help get him together offensively. Choo hit .096 in April, the second-lowest average among qualifying hitters in the Major Leagues.
"That was the plan, unplug him for a couple days, have [Thursday] off," Banister said. "He will be in there tonight, and he will be in there on a regular basis. It's time to go to work. His comment to me when we first talked about it was he understands, but he felt like he is the guy who needs to be out in right field. He feels the best players should be out there every day. I agree with that, but the guys we need out there need to be at their best."
Choo's batting average was the lowest ever by a Rangers player for the month of April. The previous low was .115 by Larry Parrish in 1988. The lowest ever by a Major League hitter for April, according to STATS Inc., was .062 (4-for-65) by Don Baylor of the Angels in 1981.
The lowest batting average by a Rangers player for any month was .077 by Jim Adduci last August. Outfielder Duane Walker had a .078 batting average in September 1985, less than two months after being acquired from the Reds in the Buddy Bell trade.
Worth noting
• Reliever Kyuji Fujikawa, on the disabled list because of tightness in his right groin muscle, made his sixth appearance for Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday, and the right-hander allowed a run on a hit and two walks in one inning. The Rangers don't see him as an option yet for their Major League bullpen.
• Reliever Tanner Scheppers pitched a scoreless inning in his first appearance for Round Rock, after being sent down on Monday. He allowed a hit and a walk. Banister said the Rangers are looking for, "consistency throwing the fastball for strikes. That, for us, is the main objective. Everything else works off that."
• Pitcher Nick Martinez was named the Rangers Player of the Month for April. He was 2-0 with a 0.35 ERA in four starts. It is the lowest ERA for a Rangers pitcher in any month in club history. He started four of the Rangers' seven wins.