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The Texas Rangers have signed righthanded pitcher Jen-Ho Tseng to a minor league deal, the team announced today. Tseng is reporting to extended spring training for now, and my assumption is that if he looks okay out there he will join the Nashville rotation in the relatively near future.
Tseng, 24, was signed by the Chicago Cubs originally out of Taiwan. He has appeared in three major league games, putting up a 9.00 ERA in 8 innings, and had a 6.27 ERA in 26 starts for Iowa in the PCL last year. Tseng was designated for assignment earlier this month, and was released by the Cubs five days ago. Shiraz Rahman, the Rangers assistant g.m., was with the Cubs until Texas hired him over the winter.
The Rangers have been looking for starting pitching depth, as they appear committed to not looking to their top minor league starting pitching prospects to fill in in the major leagues until the second half of the season, at the earliest. Tseng would seem to be a candidate to help fill in at Nashville and, if needed, in Texas, should the need arise, allowing the Rangers to avoid rushing someone like Taylor ahearn.