Ryan Dempster, acquired via trade from the Chicago Cubs to help bolster the Rangers starting rotation, will miss his scheduled start on Saturday due to personal reasons. According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, Roy Oswalt will make the start in Dempster's place with outfielder Leonys Martin also being recalled.
Dempster has been placed on the restricted list and it's unknown if Dempster will miss just this start or more at the moment. The right-handed pitcher has struggled in three starts for the Rangers, allowing eight runs in his last outing against the Yankees on Monday.
As Lone Star Ball notes, the Martin call up is intriguing since it means the Rangers still don't have much of an option for a backup for the infield.
Martin's recall means that the Rangers will again have a four man bench, although they still have no true backup middle infielder. Martin played very sparingly when he was called up to the majors previously, and it remains to be seen whether he will start this weekend. If Martin does start, it would likely be on Saturday or Sunday, when the Blue Jays will roll out righthanders Carlos Villanueva and Henderson Alvarez, rather than tonight, when lefty J.A. Happ will start.
For more on the Rangers, head over to Lone Star Ball. For the Blue Jays perspective, check out Bluebird Banter.
