Gray to the i.l., Patton recalled

The Texas Rangers have placed Jon Gray on the 10 day injured list due to a blister, the team announced today. To replace Gray on the active roster, the Rangers have recalled pitcher Spencer Patton, who was on the taxi squad (and thus traveled to Toronto with the team).

Gray was great for the first three innings of yesterday’s game against Toronto before struggling in the fourth, when he was, we discovered, dealing with a blister that tore. Gray was examined after the inning and removed from the game. Gray said after the game he didn’t expect to miss his next start, although that has now changed.

This is a move that I suspect the Rangers would not have made if this had happened in May, when the injured list goes back to 15 days, rather than the 10 days that is being used for the first month of the season due to the shortened spring training. I imagine that the Rangers are wanting to err on the side of caution and make sure Gray’s finger fully heals, given that it is a long season and you don’t want this to be a recurring issue.

With four games followed by an off day, and then four more games followed by another off day, the Rangers won’t need a fifth starter again until Gray is eligible to return from the injured list, so by activating Patton, they have an 11 man bullpen for the next week and a half or so. Patton gives the Rangers another righty relief arm available to use the next two days against a Toronto team that pounds lefthanders, as well as providing extra depth to back up a Ranger rotation whose starters aren’t likely to go deep into games their first couple of outings.