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Nick Tepesch has been moved from the minor league disabled list to the major league disabled list, with his option nullified and his status being made retroactive to the start of the season, per Evan Grant.
Evan sets forth the service time and related issues that stem from this move, but what is particularly noteworthy is that this sets the stage for the Rangers to make a 40 man roster move. While Tepesch was in the minors, he was occupying a 40 man roster spot. Since Tepesch is now on the major league disabled list, he can be moved at some point to the 60 day d.l., which would open up a spot on the 40 man roster.
Why does that matter? Well, the Rangers need a fifth starter a week from today, and one of their existing four starters, Ross Detwiler, has not been good. Wandy Rodriguez was signed to a minor league deal to give the Rangers starting pitching depth, and if the Rangers don't want to bring Anthony Ranaudo back after his shelling last week, Rodriguez might be the team's next option to join the rotation.
Prior to this move, there was no obvious way to open up a 40 man roster spot for Rodriguez. With Tepesch now being on the major league d.l., and out of action through the end of May, it is now a simple matter to open up a spot for Rodriguez (or Chi Chi Gonzalez, or Kyle Blanks, or some other player on a minor league deal) by sliding Tepesch to the 60 day d.l.
