ARLINGTON, Texas _ The latest acquisition in the Texas Rangers' rebuild is a 17-year-old whose season in the Dominican Summer League was interrupted by surgery.
At least it wasn't Tommy John surgery outfielder Alexander Ovellas required last month. He needed a broken hamate bone removed from his right hand.
The outfielder is hitting again and will be a player when he makes the six-mile trek from the Chicago Cubs' academy in the Dominican Republic to the Rangers' compound in Boca Chica.
His trek to the Rangers' big-league roster might take around, oh, six years.
Ovellas is the player to be named in the Cole Hamels trade that also included right-handers Eddie Butler and Rollie Lacy, who is pitching in High A. The Rangers are also due a PTBNL from the Pittsburgh Pirates for Keone Kela and from the Arizona Diamondbacks for Jake Diekman.
Those players could be in hand by the end of the week, so, no, Arizona is not leaving a big-leaguer behind as the Rangers did July 31 when Diekman switched clubhouses as the Rangers played at Chase Field on deadline day.
The Rangers lost that night and did so again Tuesday night, 6-4, as Yovani Gallardo couldn't make it through four innings. After managing to get just enough Monday against Zack Greinke, the Rangers' offense couldn't get the big hit against Patrick Corbin.
From the Rangers' perspective, the Ovellas trade rated as the biggest news on a ho-hum day at Globe Life Park.
The expected news on Adrian Beltre was never delivered, which might be reason for some optimism. He was out of the lineup Tuesday because of a strained left hamstring and will be evaluated again Thursday after the Rangers' off day Wednesday.
If he does need time on the disabled list for the third time this season, he won't end the season there.
"I don't get any indication that it'll be anything long-term," manager Jeff Banister said.
But it will likely still be significant enough to scuttle any potential trades for him, though the Rangers were expected to hold onto the third baseman before his latest hamstring woes.
It's August, so there is still time for a team to bowl the Rangers over with a trade offer. A significant injury could also motivate a contender to give general manager Jon Daniels a call.
There have been conversations on multiple fronts, Daniels said, but nothing is close. Their next trade might not come until the off-season.
The Rangers have selected the minor-league players they want from the Pirates and Diamondbacks. Don't expect any big names in the prospect rankings, but rather players who have significant upside and need time for it to come up.
They aren't knocking on the MLB door, in other words.
And there won't be as massive of a September youth movement as might be expected.
"Most of the young who guys who are going to get extended looks are already here," Daniels said.
Yohander Mendez, who was demoted to High A from the Rangers' rotation after a violation of team rules in June, is likely to be one of them. He's out of options after this year, and the Rangers need learn as much as they can about him.
Don't expect to see Taylor Hearn, the prize of the Rangers' July haul. He will finish out the season at Double-A Frisco after being acquired July 30 in the Kela deal with the Pirates.
Pitching is an admitted deficiency in the minors, but Daniels believes the Rangers starting their rebuild from a better place than other clubs in the recent past because they have a good core group of young players.
The Rangers lead the majors in games played by players 25 years old or younger.
"We could field a full team of young players," Daniels said. "We have a nucleus. We need more, for sure. We need our pitching group to catch up, but we have a nucleus of players that we can build with."
There's some more optimism on a rather ho-hum Tuesday.
