Todd Wills from ESPNDallas is reporting that Nelson Cruz will be activated for the Texas Rangers game against the Tampa Bay Rays tomorrow. Cruz has been serving a 50 game suspension for a violation of MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention Program in connection to his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal.
There had been some discussion about whether or not the Rangers would activate him after the San Francisco Giants chose not to activate all-star Melky Cabrera last year en route to the World Series Championship.
Just because he has been activated doesn’t necessarily mean that he will be in the lineup tomorrow as general manager Jon Daniels told reporters that it will be up to manager Ron Washington whether or not Cruz is in the lineup. Cruz certainly thinks he will be playing.
Cruz has anticipated rejoining the team all along and when asked whether he expected to be in the lineup on Monday, he replied “I think so”. Cruz also had this to say about rejoining the team.
"“We’re playing really good baseball, and the guys are excited,” Cruz said. “I’m excited, and I’m happy to be back and be with my teammates and play the game that I love.”"
The Rangers desperately need some power injected into the lineup. Cruz is currently sporting a .511 slugging percentage and has hit 27 home runs. All reports indicate that his teammates really like him and that alone can bring a clubhouse together. If you are looking for a sleeper to come out of the American League, the Rangers may be for you.