The Rangers have placed closer Frank Francisco on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis. Veteran lefty C.J. Wilson will replace Francisco while he is out of action. Wilson has pitched in 28 games (0 starts) this season for the Rangers and he is 3-3 with 6 saves, a 3.12 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. Wilson will likely do a decent job while Francisco is out but the Rangers’ bullpen will still miss him.

The Rangers have outrighted 34-year old righty reliever/starter Kris Benson to AAA to make room on the roster for Jason Grilli. Benson pitched in 8 games (2 starts) for the Rangers this season and he is 1-1 with a 8.46 ERA and a 2.01 WHIP. Benson allowed 33 hits in only 22 1/3 innings for the Rangers so he will likely be a very long shot to pitch for the Rangers again this season….and that’s a good thing.

The Rangers have acquired 32-year old righty reliever Jason Grilli from the Rockies for cash considerations. Grilli pitched in 22 games (0 starts) for the Rockies this season and he was 0-1 with 1 save, a 6.05 ERA and a 2.17 WHIP. He has now pitched in 209 games (16 starts) in his major league career and he is 16-16 with 2 saves, a 4.73 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. This might be a decent low risk pickup but Grilli has been mostly a mop up man out of the pen to this point in his major league career.

The Rangers have signed 39-year old righty starting pitcher Orlando Hernandez to a minor league deal. “El Duque” did not pitch last season. Hernandez has pitched in 219 games (211 starts) in his major league career and he is 90-65 with 2 saves, a 4.13 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. The Rangers will have him get in shape at AAA with a likely quick call up if he looks good. The Rangers might have snagged El Duque with an eye on the playoffs. After all, Hernandez has pitched in 19 games (14 starts) in his post season career and he is 9-3 with a 2.55 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. This was a solid low risk move for the Rangers to make.

29-year old righty reliever Frank Francisco came into this season with only 5 saves in 170 career games. But, the Rangers gave him a chance this spring to compete with lefty C.J. Wilson for the job as closer and he beat him out. Francisco has pitched in 19 games (0 starts) for the Rangers this season and he is 1-1 with 12 saves, a 0.46 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP. But, Francisco is a little banged up right now. Still, the Rangers have to be ecstatic with the way Francisco has pitched in 2009.

The Rangers will be without 25-year old righty starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy for the next several weeks due to a stress fracture in his right shoulder. McCarthy has pitched in 11 games (all starts) for the Rangers this season and he is 5-2 with a 4.92 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. The Rangers will likely give 25-year old righty Doug Mathis the first shot to replace McCarthy. Mathis has pitched in 10 games (all starts) in AAA-ball this season and he is 4-2 with a 2.89 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Mathis has also pitched in 9 games (4 starts) in his major league career to date and he is 2-1 with a 6.56 ERA and a 2.19 WHIP. The Rangers will miss McCarthy who was pitching pretty well.

The Rangers might be without Josh Hamilton for the next two months due to a severe abdominal strain. Hamilton has played in 35 games for the Rangers this season and he is 30 for 125 (.240 avg, .746 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 6 homers, 24 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Hamilton’s injury likely means more playing time for both Andruw Jones and David Murphy. Jones has played in 26 games this season for the Rangers and he is 25 for 90 (.278 avg, .948 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 5 homers and 14 RBIs. Murphy has played in 39 games this season for the Rangers and he is 25 for 108 (.231 avg, .671 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 2 homers, 10 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. The Rangers have recalled 26-year old switch hitting outfielder Brandon Boggs to take over Hamilton’s roster space. Boggs has played in 46 games in AAA-ball this season and he is 45 for 162 (.278 avg, .769 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 2 homers, 25 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Boggs played in 101 games as a rookie for the Rangers last season and he was 64 for 283 (.226 avg, .732 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 8 homers, 41 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Regardless of who plays CF the Rangers will miss Hamilton’s all-around game.