How the Texas heat factors into the Rangers' decision for turf or grass in their new retractable roof stadium

PHOENIX -- While the baseball operations members of the Rangers' front office ensconced themselves in a hotel suite Monday doing due diligence on potential trades, the business side was doing the same on the turf at Chase Field.

It's all about whether the Rangers will trade grass for artificial turf when they move into their new retractable roof stadium in 2020.

Executive vice president of business operations Rob Matwick, who is overseeing construction of Globe Life Field, and senior vice president of operations Sean Decker toured Chase Field to see how a grass field would stand up to the challenges of extreme heat through a full season. The Rangers remain undecided on whether they will go with natural grass or use artificial turf in the stadium.

Matwick and Decker walked the field with manager Jeff Banister to survey the consistency of the grass. They did the same in Houston over the weekend. The two stadiums, along with Miami, present the best "comps" for what the Rangers are likely to encounter if they go with grass.

"We just want to see the consistency of the surfaces and what the challenges are," Matwick said. "We want to see what it is like four months into the season. We got with the groundskeepers in both places. We will continue to study both options. We want to provide our players with the best playing surface."

What was visible to the naked eye Monday were some areas in the right-field corner that appeared to be a little patchy. The right-field corner at Chase Field is the last area to get sunlight and gets the least amount since the roof is usually closed around 2:30 p.m. to cool off the park for that night's game. The playing surface at Globe Life Field will be similarly oriented.

Because of advances in technology, the one-piece roof at Globe Life Field is likely to close more quickly than at 20-year-old Chase Field. That could allow for more exposure to sunlight. The Rangers are not expected to announce a decision on the playing surface until sometime in 2019.

Still hurting: Nomar Mazara tried to play catch Monday with the severely strained ligament in his right thumb.

The best that could be said: "It went OK," Mazara said.

It was not a ringing endorsement. And it likely means that a return for Mazara, who has already been out for two weeks with the injury, is not on the horizon.

In 2015, Adrian Beltre, who is noted for his superhuman healing powers, suffered a similar thumb injury, missed three weeks and returned without a rehab assignment. Only after the season was it revealed that Beltre actually had a torn ligament and required surgery.

Martin update: Right-hander Chris Martin rejoined the team after a one-inning rehab outing with Triple-A Round Rock Sunday. Martin, out since July 5 with a strained groin, will likely have at least one more outing, perhaps on Tuesday with the Arizona Rookie League team.

If the Rangers make a trade involving one of their relievers, though, it's possible Martin will simply be activated and fill the open spot on the roster.

Twitter: @Evan_P_Grant