SEATTLE — The Texas Rangers placed closer-turned-starter Neftali Feliz on the 15-day disabled list with right elbow inflammation Monday, three days after wildness cut short a start and cost the right-hander a win.
The Rangers replaced Feliz by recalling right-handed reliever Yoshinori Tateyama from Triple-A Round Rock.
Feliz had been scheduled to start Wednesday at Seattle. The Rangers did not name a new starter in a release announcing the team’s first roster move of the season, the latest in team history. The previous mark was May 10, 1976, when Ken Pape was recalled from Sacramento a day after John Ellis broke an ankle.
Right-hander Scott Feldman has made two spot starts, including one to give Feliz extra rest, and could be available Wednesday.
In Texas’ 4-1 win Friday at Houston, Feliz threw 51 balls among 100 pitches and was pulled by manager Ron Washington after 4 2-3 innings, one out shy of the five innings required to get a win.
The 24-year-old is in his first season as a major league starter after he saved 72 games in two years as the Rangers’ closer. He is 3-1 with a 3.16 ERA. He has 23 walks and 37 strikeouts in 42 2-3 innings.
Not long after Feliz blew a save when the Rangers were one strike away from winning the World Series last fall, the Rangers said they planned to move him to the rotation. He had been a starter in the minors.
Feliz threw seven shutout innings in a 1-0 win over Seattle in his debut but has since been uneven. He’s walked at least four batters in three starts, including a season-high six when he blew a 5-0 lead in an 8-7 loss at Toronto.
Tateyama started the season on the DL and was optioned to Round Rock when he was activated April 13. He’s 1-0 with a 0.54 ERA and a save in 12 outings. He was 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA in 39 relief appearances for the Rangers last season.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
