It looks like Andruw Jones will remain a Ranger… at least through the weekend, that is.
Jones, who has a clause in his contract allowing him to explore other options if he is not placed on the 40-man roster, could have opted out of his contract today. But he says he likes the Rangers, and wants to remain with the team, at least, through Monday.
"We've got to the 23rd to make a decision and see what happens," Jones said. "They asked me to give them a couple of more days to see what decision they're going to make. We just have to wait and see what happens."
While Jones’ statement smacks of optimism, it seems unlikely that he will be a Texas Ranger come opening day.
For starters, the 31 year-old is battling for a spot in an already crowded outfield picture for Texas; his presence on the roster could take at-bats away from young guys like David Murphy and Marlon Byrd, both of which look healthy coming into the season.
Jones hasn’t played in a Cactus League game since the 13th of this month and, while he is hitting a respectable .258 with a home run this spring, he has struck out an impressive 14 times in 31 at-bats.
Jones will likely play in Saturday’s game against Colorado before exploring options elsewhere.
Sports Connection
Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.
His time in Surprise hasn’t been a waste; he has shown some promise after a year dismal enough to scare off any potential suitors other than the Rangers, who paid little more than chicken-feed for the 10-time all-star.
But he has played well enough this spring, probably, to get picked up by someone before opening day.
It just probably won’t be the outfield-heavy Rangers.
Andruw Jones may very well have a come-back kind of year in 2009; but, most likely, he won’t be doing so in Arlington, Texas.
