Heaney to paternity list, King recalled

Texas Rangers pitcher Andrew Heaney was placed on the paternity list before today’s game against the Boston Red Sox, the team announced today. To take Heaney’s place on the active roster, the Rangers have recalled pitcher John King.

King is likely here for just a brief stint, in order to give the Rangers a long relief option in the bullpen after both Glenn Otto and Cody Bradford had to be used against the Houston Astros on Monday. Heaney is expected to be activated later this week, at which point King probably goes back down to AAA.

The scenario where King may not go back down when Heaney returns would be if there’s an injured list move. Martin Perez’s velocity was down on Monday and his command was terrible, and the combination can be a sign of an ailment that Perez was trying to pitch through. The beats are saying that the Rangers might go with Cody Bradford in one of the games in Washington this weekend, which likely would mean Perez wouldn’t pitch again until after the All Star Break. Texas could conceivably put him on the i.l., if there is a physical issue, with an eye towards reactivating him after fifteen days.