Veteran OF Pence set to start season with hometown Rangers
SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Veteran outfielder Hunter Pence is set to start the season with his hometown Texas Rangers.
Manager Chris Woodward told Pence on Thursday he will be on the 25-man roster as the team’s fourth outfielder when the Rangers open the regular season at home next Thursday against the Chicago Cubs.
That means slimmed-down young outfielder Willie Calhoun will start the season at Triple-A Nashville.
Pence, who turns 36 on April 13, went to spring training on a minor league contract. He is a .280 career hitter in 12 big league seasons with Houston, Philadelphia and San Francisco, and was part of two World Series championships with the Giants.
The three-time All-Star played at Arlington High School and then at the University of Texas-Arlington, only a few miles from the Rangers home stadium.
