On day after Ian Kinsler returned to the lineup after his paternity leave and the Rangers sent Chris Davis back to Round Rock, they have placed Mike Napoli on the disabled list with a strained oblique. To replace him they brought back Taylor Teagarden.
We’ve seen from Tommy Hunter that a seemingly minor oblique strain can become a long term headache, so this is really bad news for the Rangers. Napoli has played 46 of 66 games in 2011 and has hit .221/.344/.493. Even with a recent slide that’s the third highest OPS among 11 Rangers with at least 60 AB this season.