SEATTLE — It took until May 21 but the Texas Rangers have finally made their first roster move of the season.
It was a doozy too.
The Rangers placed right-hander Neftali Feliz on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained ligament in his right elbow. The club has recalled right-hander Yoshinori Tateyama to take his roster spot.
Feliz had an MRI Monday morning in Arlington that revealed the damage. He won't throw for the next four weeks and will be re-evaluated after that. There's a chance that no-throw period could be extended. His next start was scheduled for Wednesday. Scott Feldman will make that start and the Rangers will decide what to do after that.
"We're going to sit down and kind of review all our options and where we go from here," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. "Some of it kind of depends on how long Neffy is going to be out and things of that nature. Scott's definitely in there on Wednesday."
Feldman has made a pair of spot starts this year, with the last coming Monday against Kansas City when he pitched 4 2/3 innings. While Feldman, who has made 82 starts for the Rangers, is the likely favorite to fill the void, the club has several possibilities.
Right-hander Alexi Ogando, who was an All-Star as a starter last season, could fill the void. But Ogando has been a key member of the bullpen and has a 1.13 ERA. He'd also need time to get stretched out, eliminating his ability to make an instant impact.
That's the same case for free agent right-hander Roy Oswalt. The club watched Oswalt throw last week but Daniels said he's not ready to pitch in a game and doesn't have a timetable on when he'd be able to do so.
"We're going to consider all of our options, whatever's best for the club going forward," Daniels said. "Whether that's internal or external we've got to look at it. We've had some conversation so far but the information is kind of new. Everything's on the table."
Two pitchers who aren't currently options are Round Rock starters Martin Perez and Neil Ramirez. Daniels said consistency is the key to pitching at the major-league level and neither has shown that at Round Rock this year.
Feliz last pitched Friday in Houston where he walked five and lasted just 4 2/3 of an inning. He began experiencing some soreness in his arm in his last two starts.
"We've just got to get him well," said Rangers manager Ron Washington, who found out Feliz was hurting Saturday in Houston. "We certainly were looking forward to him taking the ball throughout the whole year. I think what happened we can't do anything about. Now the key is to get healthy."
Feliz was 3-1 with a 3.16 ERA in his first year as a starter for the Rangers. He spent time on the disabled list last year with right shoulder inflammation and was slowed by inflammation in the shoulder again this spring.
The Rangers skipped his start in the rotation in late April but that had nothing to do with any injury concerns.
He pitched a complete game in his third start of the season but hasn't pitched more than six innings in his four starts following that April 21 game in Detroit.
Feliz closed for Texas each of the last two years before making the transition to becoming a starter. Daniels said the club would have to re-evaluate how he's used in the future based on the injury but doesn't think the club could have done anything to prevent what happened.
"It's something we've got to talk about," Daniels said of the future. "I don't know the answer. He's as strong and well-conditioned as he's ever been. I don't think there were any warning signs necessarily. Everything's on the table both as far as who comes up and replaces him and long term what's best for Neftali."
Team doctor Keith Meister believes that rest and medication should help Feliz, who will resume a throwing program once he's cleared.
Tateyama, who spent time with the club last season, has been dominant in relief for Triple a Round Rock. He started the season on the disabled list with a lower back strain but has a 0.54 ERA in 12 appearances for the Express. He hasn't allowed an earned run in his last eight games and opponents were hitting just .200 against him.
"I had a good time in Triple A," said Tateyama, who can give the Rangers multiple innings. "I was no good at the end of spring training. I was able to look back during those times on myself. My mechanics weren't perfect at the time but I was able to adjust it."
