Texas Rangers 3rd base coach Tony Beasley has rectal cancer

Tony Beasley (l.) has a “treatable” form of rectal cancer.

“Jeff set the tone from Day One in spring training in 2015 and carried that message throughout the season”, Daniels said in statement. General manager Jon Daniels said the disease is in its early stages and is treatable. The 49-year-old coach, a longtime friend of Banister’s, is expected in camp Saturday and will undergo chemotherapy during spring training…. The Rangers on Friday guaranteed the 2018 season, added a team option for 2019 and gave him a raise.

After making the playoffs in his first year as Rangers manager and being named American League Manager of the Year, Jeff Banister has received a contract extension and a raise according to Jeff Wilson of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram. His workload this spring will be dictated by how he feels, and the team will wait to see how that goes before determining if they need to find someone to fill in for Beasley on an interim basis.

Banister overcame bone cancer while in high school. “As far as what the next steps are, we really don’t have a lot of answers to those questions”. They have coached together for many years, dating to their days with Pittsburgh, and Banister brought Beasley from Washington in 2014 after getting the Rangers’ managerial job.

The Rangers had the biggest one-year turnaround in the American League last season in Banister’s first season.

“I consider Tony as much a family member as anything else”, Banister said.