Rangers hoping Choo, Barnette, Jeffress return soon

OAKLAND — The Rangers have clinched the division title, but they still have plenty to do in the final eight games. At the top of the list is finishing with the best record in the American League and having home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

“Home-field advantage is priority one,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. “That is significant.”

There are other tasks on the list, including resting the regulars, setting the postseason roster, seeing if Derek Holland can pitch out of the bullpen, and monitoring the progress of outfielder Shin-Soo Choo and pitchers Tony Barnette and Jeremy Jeffress.

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Banister sat most of his regulars on Saturday, the day after clinching the title. Shortstop Elvis Andrus and outfielder Nomar Mazara were the only regulars in the lineup.

“Today, being the day after, I planned getting the largest core group the day off,” Banister said. “They’ll get back quickly. We’ll give them the appropriate days without going crazy. We still need to keep guys as sharp as we can and keep them energized. It’s also about getting our bench guys in there. Guys that haven’t played regularly need to sharpen up.”

Holland has been a starter for most of the year, but he appears to be the odd man out of the rotation for the postseason, …

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