The MLB-worst Texas Rangers (51-79) have decided to shut down two of their high-profile players for the remainder of the year, while the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals could have some contributors coming back from injury soon.
Rangers starting pitcher Yu Darvish was placed on the 15-day disabled list back on August 13 due to inflammation in his pitching elbow and was expected to only miss his next two starts. Given the Rangers positioning in the MLB standings, there's no need to rush the three-time All-Star back into action because he's not needed to help the team. Although no official announcement has been made, it's expected that general manager Jon Daniels will keep Darvish out of action for the rest of the 2014 season.
But there is one Ranger who will definitely not see the field for the rest of the year, and that's outfielder Shin-Soo Choo. Texas invested heavily in the former longtime Cleveland Indian this offseason and signed him to a seven-year, $130 million contract. On top of a disappointing season, Choo will undergo surgery to remove a bone spur from his left elbow, effectively ending the year for him. He was batting just .242 through 123 games in 2014.
As for the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals, they should be getting back some players relatively soon who have missed significant time. Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer bruised his right hand on July 20 (a stress fracture was undiagnosed at that point ) and then attempted to come back a bit too early, which further resulted in an injury, whereby doctors revealed a stress fracture on July 31. The 24-year-old was cleared to begin swinging a bat on Monday, but cannot start hitting until Thursday.
In St. Louis, catcher Yadier Molina and starting pitcher Michael Wacha have been missing an extended period of time together. Molina underwent surgery on his right thumb to repair a torn ligament early in July and Wacha suffered a stress reaction in his pitching shoulder in mid-June. The Cardinals announced on Monday that the two will report to the team's facility this week to conduct workouts and rehabilitation. Molina is arguably the best catcher in baseball and Wacha is a promising young pitcher who the team desperately needs to replace the disappointing Justin Masterson in the rotation. If these two can get some time in before the postseason, they'll provide a much-needed boost for the Cardinals, who trail the Milwaukee Brewers 1.5 games for the NL Central lead.
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