28-year old righty starting pitcher Scott Feldman’s rehab assignment has went really well. He has started 7 games in AA+AAA-ball for the Rangers this year and he is 2-0 with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. Feldman will probably bump someone out of the starting rotation soon. He has pitched in 164 games (78 starts) in his six years with the Rangers and he is 31-32 with a 4.80 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP.

25-year old 1B/RF Mitch Moreland burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2010 for the Rangers. He played in 47 games for the Rangers last year and he was 37 for 145 (.255 avg, .833 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 9 homers, 25 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Moreland followed that up with an outstanding post-season performance for the Rangers. Still, he was likely going to split time at 1B with Mike Napoli and Michael Young this year. Young has played mostly as the DH this year while Napoli has been catching more than expected. That opened the door for Moreland to play pretty much every day. Moreland has played in 70 games for the Rangers so far this year and he is 68 for 235 (.289 avg, .838 OPS) with 35 runs scored, 11 homers, 24 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. I look for Moreland to play almost everyday until Mike Napoli returns from the D.L.

Switch-hitting outfieler Ruben Sierra was one of the best outfielders in Rangers’ history. Sierra’s best season with the Rangers came in 1989. Sierra played in 162 games for the Rangers in 1989 and he was 194 for 634 (.306 avg, .889 OPS) with 101 runs scored, 35 doubles, 14 triples (led the majors), 29 homers, 119 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. Sierra finished 2nd in the MVP Voting in the A.L. in 1989 while making the All-Star team and winning a Silver Slugger Award. Sierra played in 1,190 games in his 10 years with the Rangers and he was 1,281 of 4,580 (.280 avg, .796 OPS) with 645 runs scored, 180 homers, 742 RBIs and 90 stolen bases. Sierra is #7 in Rangers’ history in games played with 1,190. He is also #5 in hits (1,281), #5 in runs scored (645), #6 in doubles (257), #2 in triples (44), #5 in homers (180) and #5 in RBIs (742) in Rangers’ history. Sierra made is to 3 All-Star teams as a member of the Rangers and he also won 1 Silver Slugger Award.

25-year old lefty starting pitcher Matt Harrison has been outstanding lately for the Rangers. In his last 7 starts, Harrison is 3-2 with a 2.06 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Harrison has now started 13 games for the Rangers so far this year and he is 5-6 with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. Harrison has only given up 65 hits in 77 innings this year but he has had control issues as he has walked 33 batters. Harrison just needs to trust his stuff (which is really good) and start pounding the strikezone. Harrison took some time to develop before this year but he’s paying the Rangers off for their patience.

When 25-year old lefty swinging CF Julio Borbon was activated from the D.L. the Rangers decided to send him to the minors rather than giving him his old job back. Borbon isn’t getting the message though as he isn’t playing too well in the minors. Borbon has played in 13 games in AA+AAA-ball this year and he is 12 for 51 (.235 avg, .641 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 0 homers, 3 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. His stay in the minors is going to be an extended one unless he gets his act together soon. Borbon played in 32 games earlier this year for the Rangers and he was 24 for 89 (.270 avg, .654 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 0 homers, 11 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. He has now played in 215 games in parts of three years with the Rangers and he is 194 for 684 (.284 avg, .682 OPS) with 100 runs scored, 7 homers, 73 RBIs and 40 stolen bases.

The only real hole on the Rangers right now is the righty side of the bullpen. The Rangers will have a lot of options as far as deals go depending on how much they are willing to give up. The Rangers should be calling the Cubs right now about Kerry Wood as I think he would be a perfect fit as the set-up man to Neftali Feliz. Koji Uehara of the Orioles would also be a quality set-up man but he would cost more prospect wise than Wood would. They could always call the bullpen rich Blue Jays and enquire about Jon Rauch, Jason Frasor or Octavio Dotel. I think the Rangers are going to pull the trigger on more than one deal as Chris Davis and Taylor Teagarden have a lot of value.

33-year old lefty swinging Endy Chavez has really played well for the Rangers this year. Chavez has played in 6 games so far in June and he is 9 for 20 (.450 avg, 1.100 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 0 homers, 3 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has now played in 17 games for the Rangers so far this year and he is 22 for 57 (.386 avg, 1.032 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 2 homers, 6 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Chavez has played so well for the Rangers that when Julio Borbon came off the D.L., they sent him to AAA.

The Rangers have placed 29-year old righty swinging catcher Mike Napoli on the 15-day disabled list due to a strained oblique. Napoli has played in 46 games for the Rangers so far this year and he is 30 for 136 (.221 avg, .836 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 10 homers, 25 RBIs and 1 stolen base. The Rangers have recalled 27-year old righty swinging catcher Taylor Teagarden to replace Napoli on the active roster. Teagarden played in 3 games earlier this year for the Rangers and he was 0 for 4 (.000 avg, .200 OPS). He has also played in 24 games in AAA-ball this year and he is 28 for 86 (.326 avg, 1.170 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 9 homers and 18 RBIs. Maybe Teagarden will step up this time around for the Rangers.

24-year old righty reliever/starter Tanner Scheppers came into this season as the Rangers’ #3 rated prospect according to Baseball America. But, he has only pitched in 1 game (1 start) in AAA-ball so far this year and he is 0-0 with a 13.50 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP. He is on the minor league D.L. with a back injury. Scheppers has now pitched in 41 games (12 starts) in his first three years in the minors and he is 2-4 with 6 saves, a 4.72 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. He has whiffed 113 batters in his first 101 innings in the minors but he has also given up 106 hits and he’s walked 41 batters. The Rangers were hoping that Scheppers might be ready to help them at some point in 2011, but, those plans are likely on hold for now.

27-year old righty starting pitcher Alexi Ogando has been outstanding for the Rangers so far this year. Ogando has pitched in 11 games (all starts) for the Rangers so far this year and he is 6-0 with a 2.20 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. He has only given up 49 hits in 73 2/3 innings this year while whiffing 53 batters and walking only 16 of them. Ogando is following C.J. Wilson’s footsteps as he was a reliever for the Rangers last year. He pitched in 44 games (0 starts) for the Rangers last year and he was 4-1 with 7 holds, a 1.30 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. If Ogando keeps pitching like he is right now, he might just win the Cy Young Award in the American League.