Leody Taveras to start year on i.l.

Texas Rangers outfielder Leody Taveras will start the season on the injured list, per Evan Grant on Twitter. Evan says that Bruce Bochy made the announcement this morning.

The issue of whether Taveras would be active to start the year or not has been an open question. Taveras has been dealing with an oblique strain which has limited his ability to swing the bat from the right side. He has had some action in minor league games while hitting just lefty, but wasn’t going to be ready for Opening Day, and the team has opted to err on the side of caution and put him on the injured list rather than carry him on the active roster when he’s not ready to play.

Travis Jankowski is still in camp and would seem to be the obvious choice to take Taveras’s spot on the active roster. Jankowski is on a minor league deal, and thus would have to be added to the 40 man roster, but Glenn Otto and Jake Odorizzi both appear to be 60 day injured list candidates. In addition, Josh Sborz is out of options, and so if he doesn’t make the roster, he would be dropped from the 40 man roster and either traded or put on waivers.