ARLINGTON, TEXAS — Ahead of this weekend’s series with the Texas Rangers, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he and his players have so much respect for third baseman Adrián Beltré that he posited if Beltré didn’t collect the four hits required to get him to 3,000 while they were in town, they’d all be trying to watch it on TV when he ended up reaching that milestone.

It turns out they got a pretty good view.

With two hits Friday, one Saturday, and a fourth-inning double off Wade Miley on Sunday, Beltré became the 31st player in major league history with 3,000 hits and the first Dominican-born player to reach that mark.

“It’s an honor to be here for it,” Showalter said. “You couldn’t have drawn it up better where we win and you get a chance to see that. I think everybody in the game has a lot of respect for him, not only statistically, but the way he’s handled his success over the years. Not once has this guy embarrassed his family or his team or anything like that. It’s a lot like how I talked about [former New York Yankees shortstop Derek] Jeter, you know? That’s as big a challenge sometimes as 3,000 hits.”

The game was briefly delayed to fete him, with Beltré’s Rangers teammates flooding out of the dugout to congratulate him. His three children ran out to center field to unveil a placard on the wall celebrating his 3,000 hits, and once the field cleared, Beltré hugged each of the Orioles’ position players, including former Texas teammates Chris Davis and Craig Gentry, on the field as Miley took a few warmup tosses.

Center fielder Adam Jones, who began his career in Seattle with Beltré, even took a playful jab to the gut after trying to touch his former teammate’s head, something the Hall of Fame-bound third baseman is famously averse to.

“Just as a baseball fan, that’s unbelievable,” Jones said. “He’s seen my first hit. He’s seen all my firsts in the big leagues, and for me to see a lot of his hits and No. 3,000, for me as a fan of his and a friend of his, that’s pretty special to get to share that moment with him and see his family.”

“Oh man, it was amazing,” added third baseman Manny Machado, who was Beltré’s teammate for the Dominican Republic in this spring’s World Baseball Classic. “As a baseball fan, we get to see that. It’s obviously a great accomplishment. To get 3,000 hits, only 30 players had done that. To be a part of that history was amazing, and obviously, he’s a friend and a teammate that I played with. I was excited to see him as a Dominican player to be the first to get to that milestone.”

Trumbo scratched with back problem: Outfielder-designated hitter Mark Trumbo was scratched from the lineup Sunday after he “tweaked his back stretching in the weight room” this morning, Showalter said.

Showalter was left hoping that it wouldn’t prove to be an oblique injury, the likes of which sidelined Davis for a month earlier this year.

“Hopefully it’s not a DL-able thing and he’ll be around and ready to go,” Showalter said. “That was about an hour ago. [Head athletic trainer Richie Bancells] came in and said we should probably scratch Trumbo today, so I did.”

After the game, Showalter said Monday would be a pivotal day for Trumbo, especially considering the Orioles will need a roster spot for new pitcher Jeremy Hellickson.

“I’m hoping that we can stay away from a DL with him,” Showalter said. “I just hope it’s not an oblique. We’ll know tomorrow for sure.”

Trumbo, who was originally batting fourth and serving as the designated hitter, was replaced in the lineup by Gentry, who was added to the roster Sunday morning in the empty roster spot left by the recently traded Hyun Soo Kim.

Hellickson to be activated today: Hellickson was scheduled to play catch at Camden Yards on Sunday and will probably have a bullpen session today once the team returns to Baltimore, Showalter said.

Hellickson, who was scheduled to start Friday but was scratched ahead of the trade, didn’t join the team in Texas on Saturday as planned because he was rear-ended on the way to the airport.

Around the horn: Infielder Ryan Flaherty, who is rehabbing a shoulder strain at Double-A Bowie, has a ways to go before he’s activated, Showalter said. Flaherty homered in his first at-bat for Bowie on today, and fellow rehab player Anthony Santander homered as well. ... Shortstop J.J. Hardy (fractured wrist) is “closer,” Showalter said, with internal plans being made for his rehab and eventual return.

jmeoli@baltsun.com

twitter.com/JonMeoli