Rheinecker Called Up; Cruz Optioned, Kata DFAed

Per Jamey Newberg, the Rangers have scratched Vicente Padilla from tonight's start against the Detroit Tigers due to irritation in his right triceps muscle, and have activated left-hander John Rheinecker from the 60-day disabled list to make tonight's start. Jerry Hairston Jr. has also been activated from the 15-day disabled list.

To make room on the roster for Rheinecker and Hairston, Texas optioned Nelson Cruz to AAA Oklahoma City and designated Matt Kata for assignment.

Assumedly, Padilla is not going on the disabled list, and Rheinecker will likely be optioned back to Oklahoma City after tonight's start. Matt Kata's career as a Ranger may very well be over, and Nelson Cruz's future seems a bit cloudy, as well.

Ken Rosenthal discussed some of the tension in the Rangers' clubhouse today, with one paragraph being of particular note:

With the Rangers, he (Ron Washington) has been particularly hard on Laird, who is in his first season as a regular. The team's ace, right-hander Kevin Millwood, interceded during one especially tense moment, according to a source, telling Washington, "Gerald's trying. It's the pitchers' fault, too." Shortly after that, Washington held a clear-the-air session with several players.

Interesting.

Finally, the latest All-Star voting returns are out, with Michael Young, Ian Kinsler and Sammy Sosa all being buried even further in the voting than they were in the last update.

Tuesday, June 5th Game Preview

Detroit Tigers (32-24) at Texas Rangers (20-37)

Nate Robertson (4-5, 4.25 ERA) vs. John Rheinecker (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

7:35 PM CST in Arlington, Texas (Rangers Ballpark in Arlington)

TV: KDFI/My27 | Radio: KRLD 1080 AM