Willie Calhoun appeared Friday afternoon in the Texas Rangers clubhouse, the worst of his illness behind him.
He even had his uniform on and was a full participant before the opener of the Rangers’ three-game weekend series against the playoff-contending Oakland Athletics.
As for once the game started, well, the highly regarded hitting prospect was on the bench. The lineup was as it has been — regulars filling the positions where Calhoun can play.
Shin-Soo Choo was the designated hitter, and Joey Gallo was in left field. The Rangers owe it to the rest of the contenders to field their best lineup against the A’s.