The communication, Brad Ausmus said, is there.
Late last month, during a four-game series against the Astros, veteran reliever Francisco Rodriguez texted Ausmus and asked if they could talk about his situation on the team.
“That was specifically about him and how he fits in and what I saw and what I thought,” Ausmus said after Tuesday night’s loss to the Diamondbacks.
At the time, Rodriguez was trying to work his way back into higher-leverage situations after losing the closer’s role earlier in the month.
“Other than that,” Ausmus said, “It’s just been kind of regular communication.