As expected, the Rangers have activated Mitch Moreland from the disabled list, and have optioned Leonys Martin to AAA Round Rock.
Moreland went on the d.l. on June 22 with a strained left hamstring. After a slow start to the season, Moreland began heating up and was putting up solid numbers when he was injured:
Leonys Martin was called up earlier in June with what was intended to be a short stint in the majors as depth while Josh Hamilton recovered from an intestinal virus, and then stayed in place once Moreland went to the d.l. Martin has had limited playing time since his recall. Moreland will likely resume playing first base against righthanded pitchers.
What will be interesting with Moreland returning is seeing how this impacts the playing time of Michael Young and Craig Gentry. With Moreland hurt, Young has been playing much more first base, and Gentry has been getting much more playing time in centerfield, whereas before, Gentry was playing almost exclusively against lefties. With Moreland returning, Ron Washington may choose to continue to play Gentry against some righthanders, which would likely mean cutting into the playing time of either Young, Nelson Cruz, or David Murphy, with Young being the obvious candidate to see a reduced role.