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Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre, who has yet to play this season because of a strained right calf, is making progress and could be back next week, general manager Jon Daniels said Wednesday. Beltre ran the bases before Tuesday's game, and he was sent to Arizona for extended spring training on Wednesday. "Physically, we're getting much closer, but there is still more beyond running the bases here," manager Jeff Banister told reporters Tuesday. "It's the speed of the game, the reaction and the recovery, the ups and downs between innings." There is a possibility that Beltre could be activated Monday without a minor league rehab stint, Daniels said. "We're open to it," Daniels told reporters. "With a guy like [Beltre], it's more the game speed and the movements that you can't synthesize in a non-game environment. That's what is important. The [minor league] level at which he plays matters less than the number of reps he can get. We'll see how the next few days go and make a call." Beltre, 38, has 2,942 hits and is just 58 shy of becoming the 31st member of the 3,000-hit club. Joey Gallo, who leads the team with 14 home runs but has an AL-leading 64 strikeouts, has been starting during Beltre's absence.
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