Rangers' Calhoun cleared for baseball activities after pitch to face

Texas Rangers outfielder Willie Calhoun has been cleared to resume regular workouts and baseball activities, he announced on Twitter on Thursday.

The 25-year-old suffered a broken jaw after he was hit in the face by a Julio Urias fastball during a spring game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 8.

Calhoun had a plate surgically inserted into his jaw on March 9, but recently said he planned to be ready for the regular season if it was pushed back to May.

"I know, if this is pushed back to May, I'm going to be ready," Calhoun said on March 17, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. "I want so much to be ready to play on Opening Day. Getting hit and the feeling afterward that I was going to miss Opening Day was the lowest of feelings, even lower than getting sent down last year. I was so excited to have a breakout year. Everything was set up for me to take a deep breath this spring and then really step forward."

The youngster is expected to be a big part of the Rangers' lineup this season. He had a breakout campaign in 2019, when he hit 21 home runs and posted an .848 OPS in 83 games.