Rangers manager Ron Washington praises Nelson Cruz
By Mike Dyce
Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz is waiting for Major League Baseball to decide what to do with him after investigating his involvement in the Biogenesis clinic. Ryan Braun was just suspended for the remainder of the season without pay after coming to a deal with MLB. That has prompted New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez to begin negotiating his own deal.
Rangers manager Ron Washington has praised Cruz for his handling of the situation.
“I don’t know what [Cruz is] going through because I’ve never been in that situation, but I think he’s handled it admirably,” Washington said, via ESPN Dallas. “He’s been a pro, and he has been able to separate what he has done on his job, which is come to the ballpark and play baseball, and what he’s done out of here. He’s done a good job of separating.”
Nelson Cruz has remained silent on the topic and Ryan Braun’s suspension. His teammate, Joe Nathan, applauded MLB for cleaning up baseball but Washington insisted that the coaches and players will support Cruz.
“We’ll embrace him,” Washington said. “That’s all we do around here is support, and we support Nelson. We can’t do anything about his circumstances, but we support him. Until Major League Baseball decides what they want to do, I don’t think about it. I’ll put his name in my lineup. Until I get word that I can’t put it in there, I’ll put him in there.”
But that didn’t stop Washington from reiterating Nathan’s point.
“There’s a consequence for your action,” Washington said. “He made a mistake; there’s a consequence for it. I don’t think I have the right to sit here and judge anybody. Major League Baseball I think is doing a fantastic job trying to clear it up. The players have already said that they want it straightened out, and this is one of the consequences for a guy that’s a star player, and he has to pay. I think he has to answer that.
“I can’t sit here and try to bash him or anything like that. He made a mistake, and Major League Baseball has a penalty for it. He’ll pay his penalty, and then he’ll be reinstated back into baseball.”