20-year old lefty swinging outfielder Jake Skole of the Rangers has been suspended for 50 games due to testing positive for amphetamines. Skole has played in 68 games in A-ball this year and he is 42 of 227 (.185 avg, .548 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 3 homers, 18 RBIs, 2 stolen bases and an amazingly awful 72 whiffs. Skole has now played in 257 games in his first three years in the minors for the Rangers and he is 213 of 880 (.242 avg, .684 OPS) with 130 runs scored, 14 homers, 112 RBIs and 32 stolen bases. It doesn’t look like the drugs were helping Skole much.

The Rangers have placed 29-year old righty reliever Mark Lowe on the 15-day disabled list due to a strained right ribcage. Lowe has pitched in 26 games (0 starts) for the Rangers so far this year and he is 0-0 with a 2.30 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. He has only given up 22 hits and 8 walks in his first 31 1/3 innings this year while whiffing 25 batters….and those are pretty impressive numbers. The Rangers have called up 36-year old righty reliever Yoshinori Tateyama to replace Lowe in the bullpen. Tateyama has pitched in 7 games (0 starts) so far this year for the Rangers and he is 1-0 with a 11.88 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP. The Rangers hope Tateyama is better this time around.

The Rangers are currently 47-29 on the season, which has them in first place in the A.L. West, 4.5 games ahead of the Angels. Due to injuries, the Rangers are likely on the hunt for starting pitching. They are said to have their eyes firmly on Zack Greinke if the Brewers start waving a white flag. But, if they miss out on him, they will likely turn their eyes to Matt Garza, Ryan Dempster, Wandy Rodriguez, Clayton Richard, Jason Vargas and maybe even Francisco Liriano. If the Rangers deal with the Padres (for Richard), they will also likely ask about lefty reliever Joe Thatcher, as that has also become a need for them. They will also likely kick the tires on lefty reliever Brian Fuentes of the A’s. They can’t afford to just stand pat.

The Texas Rangers have called up 21-year old lefty starting pitcher Martin Perez. Perez came into this season as the Rangers’ #2 prospect according to Baseball America. Perez has pitched in 15 games (all starts) in AAA-ball this year and he is 5-5 with a 4.59 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. He has now pitched in 108 games (98 starts) in his first five years in the minors and he is 25-29 with 1 save, a 4.29 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. The Rangers have not said how they are going to use Perez, but I’m thinking it will be out of the bullpen initially.

The Rangers have placed 32-year old righty starting pitcher Colby Lewis on the 15-day disabled list due to tendinitis in his right forearm. Lewis has pitched in 15 games (all starts) for the Rangers so far this year and he is 6-6 with a 3.51 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. He has given up 96 hits and he has only walked 12 batters in his first 100 innings this year while whiffing 90 batters, which are impressive numbers. 29-year old righty Scott Feldman will replace Lewis in the rotation. Feldman has pitched in 13 games (8 starts) for the Rangers this year and he is 1-6 with a 6.00 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP.

The Texas Rangers signed 25-year old righty starting pitcher Yu Darvish to a 6-year, $56 million dollar deal last winter, with the idea that he would become the ace of the pitching staff. It hasn’t happened so far. Darvish has pitched in 14 games (all starts) for the Rangers so far this year and he is 9-4 with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. Darvish has given up 78 hits while whiffing 96 batters in his first 88 2/3 innings this year, but he has also walked 49 batters which has often gotten him into trouble. Darvish’s record really reflects the run support he has been getting this year, more than how well he has pitched. If Darvish can just tighten his control a bit, he could still turn into the dominating pitcher the Rangers thought they were signing last winter.

The Rangers have designated 25-year old righty reliever Mark Hamburger for assignment. Hamburger pitched in 21 games (3 starts) in AAA-ball this year for the Rangers and he was 0-2 with 2 saves, a 6.55 ERA and a 1.92 WHIP. He gave up a whopping 66 hits in only 45 1/3 innings in the minors, as opposing batters were running up to the plate against him. Hamburger got his first taste of the majors with the Rangers last year and he was 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. This isn’t much of a loss for the Rangers if another team claims him off waivers.

UPDATE: (6/25/2012) - The Padres have claimed Mark Hamburger off waivers from the Rangers.

The Rangers have placed 26-year old lefty swinging 1B/OF Mitch Moreland on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to June 20th due to a strained left hamstring. Moreland has played in 55 games for the Rangers so far this year and he is 43 for 158 (.272 avg, .838 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 10 homers and 25 RBIs. He has now played in 236 games in his first three years with the Rangers and he is 200 for 767 (.261 avg, .774 OPS) with 105 runs scored, 35 homers, 101 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. This is going to hurt the Rangers a little bit, because it tilts their lineup heavily to the right side.

34-year old righty starting pitcher Roy Oswalt will make his season debut for the Rangers tomorrow night against the Rockies in Texas. Oswalt has not looked sharp in the minors, but motivation could have been a factor. Plus, this was essentially his spring training. Oswalt pitched in 4 games (all starts) in AA+AAA-ball this year for the Rangers and he was 1-1 with a 5.87 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. Oswalt has pitched in 339 games (326 starts) in his first 11 years in the majors and he is 159-93 with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. I think Oswalt will give the Rangers’ starting rotation a nice shot in the arm, as he has plenty left in the gas tank.

With the non-waiver trade deadline just a little more than five weeks away, you can be sure the Rangers are going to dangle 26-year old lefty swinging CF Julio Borbon on the trade market. Borbon has played in 60 games in AAA-ball for the Rangers so far this year and he is 82 for 255 (.322 avg, .839 OPS) with 42 runs scored, 7 homers, 32 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. He has played in 215 games in his three years with the Rangers and he is 194 of 684 (.284 avg, .682 OPS) with 100 runs scored, 7 homers, 73 RBIs and 40 stolen bases.