Fielder, Choo to d.l.; Fielder possibly done for season

The Texas Rangers have placed Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo on the disabled list today, and have called up Delino DeShields and Hanser Alberto to replace them on the active roster.

Choo is on the disabled list due to his ongoing back issue, though indications are that he is expected to miss just the 15 minimum 15 days.

Prince, however, had an MRI that revealed a herniated disc in his neck, similar to what he dealt with in 2014, and season-ending surgery is an option, according to the Rangers.

Choo has missed significant time this season due to a variety of ailments, and so his absence will likely mean that the Rangers will continue to use Ryan Rua in left field and Nomar Mazara in right field, though DeShields could also get some outfield starts.  This does, however, reinforce the belief that Mazara isn't getting sent down, despite his recent slump.

The Prince news is more significant, as it means the Rangers lose the player who had been getting the bulk of the DH at bats this season.  It sounds like Profar is expect to effectively replace Prince's at bats, which is why Joey Gallo isn't getting called up -- the Rangers want Alberto and DeShields to fill bench roles, and Gallo would only get called up to start.  Given how Prince has hit this season, replacing his at bats with Profar is probably a net positive.