Texas Baseball head coach Jim Schlossnagle provides important updates on health of stars

Texas baseball fans have spent a lot of time this season bracing for positive injury news regarding its best players. While the pitching staff has stayed mostly healthy throughout the season, barring some long-term issues to lefties Will Mercer and Ace Whitehead, Texas has seen an extensive list of position players plagued by the injury bug in some fashion.

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This morning, Jim Schlossnagle took to local radio to discuss all things Texas baseball, providing injury updates on Max Belyeu, Ethan Mendoza, and Adrian Rodriguez, arguably three of the five or six most valuable players in this Texas lineup. With a date against No. 8 Auburn starting tonight, Texas will need as many stars healthy as they can get.

First, Schlossnagle gave more context to Belyeu’s injury than he had previously provided. Belyeu has now removed the stitches on his thumb and is progressing in rehab, working on strengthening the digit and regaining its full range of movement.

“Maybe he’s back before the season is over,” Schlossnagle said. “The thing we have to keep in mind with these guys is that they have long-term careers, and we would never want to—as much as we want to win—somebody has to be the adult in the room, even when the player really wants to get back out there.”

Without a doubt, a player of Belyeu’s caliber, combined with his work ethic, will want to return to the field as soon as possible. After all, Texas has endured its worst drought of hitting from the corner outfield position in recent memory during Belyeu’s absence. But Schlossnagle has no plans to rush him back. The current hope would be for him to return during the conference championship, which takes place from May 20-25, but even that seems like a stretch.

On the other hand, Texas may see Mendoza and Rodriguez this weekend, albeit in a smaller capacity.

“So Adrian has obviously been playing. He had some limitations, but he’s given us everything he can,” Schlossnagle said about Rodriguez. “Depending on how he feels each day, it’s a deep bruise in his hand. Some days it feels like it’s almost all the way back. On other days, you know, maybe one swing kind of bothers him.”

Rodriguez has been battling a hand injury since being hit by a pitch in the Missouri series nearly three weeks ago. He has played since then but is an unexpected 0-for-11 in his at-bats and won’t even step up as a right-handed hitter against lefties. Something is obviously off with the freshman, but Texas desperately needs his bat in the lineup. It sounds like Schlossnagle has some confidence in his ability to play this weekend against Auburn—he isn’t listed on the SEC injury report—but we doubt he will look as comfortable as he did earlier in the season.

Lastly, and the most recent addition to the injury report, Mendoza is still feeling some discomfort when swinging the bat. He played the entire game against Kentucky on Sunday but sat out against UTRGV on Tuesday. Mendoza’s injury is still a bit unclear, but he is listed as probable on the SEC injury report, and Schlossnagle deems him day-to-day. He’s more likely to be able to hit than field, Schlossnagle says, so a potential start at DH may be in play tonight.

Texas will likely be able to use Rodriguez tonight and Mendoza for one or two games this weekend, but that’s already a significant hit to an already extremely thin team. These three hitters are three of only seven players on the roster with an OPS over .850, and Texas’ ninth man in the order, Jaquae Stewart, is under the .600 mark in the same stat.

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Texas will need to see a much larger impact from players like Stewart, Easton Winfield, and Tommy Farmer IV, as well as Rodriguez returning healthy. Texas and Auburn will square off tonight at 7 p.m. at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, and IT expects this to be Texas’ starting lineup:

1. 1B Kimble Schuessler
2. C Rylan Galvan
3. SS Jalin Flores
4. CF Will Gasparino
5. 2B Adrian Rodriguez
6. 3B Casey Borba
7. DH Jaquae Stewart
8. RF Tommy Farmer IV
9. LF Easton Winfield