Martin Perez, the Rangers left-hander who was expected to occupy the final spot in the starting rotation, was drilled in the left forearm by a line drive off the bat of Brad Miller of the Seattle Mariners.
Perez was struck just above his left wrist, and X-rays revealed a broken ulna bone, which will keep Perez from throwing for at least four weeks. He will then require several weeks of rehab before he can return to the big leagues. The Rangers have said that Perez will continue conditioning and cardio workouts while he rests the arm.
Perez is the 17th-ranked prospect in baseball, according to Baseball America's top-100 list, despite having a rough go of things in his major league debut last season. He was 1-4 with a 5.45 ERA after being called up in June. He was slotted to replace Colby Lewis, who is recovering from elbow surgery and is out until late May at the earliest.
Robbie Ross could be a frontrunner to fill in for Perez while his arm heals. Ross pitched 65 innings for the Rangers in 2012, going 6-0 with a 2.22 ERA with 47 strikeouts. The Rangers have dealt with many injuries to their rotation dating back to last year. Lewis injured his elbow in the middle of last season and former closer-turned-starter Neftali Feliz suffered a torn UCL last July that required Tommy John surgery. There is no timetable for Feliz' return. Current fourth starter Alexei Ogando also dealt with various injuries during the 2012 season.
The Rangers brought in veterans Roy Oswalt and Ryan Dempster last year to bridge the gap, but Oswalt struggled and Dempster signed with the Boston Red Sox this offseason. Texas will rely heavily on their pitching this year, because star outfielder Josh Hamilton left the Rangers for the division-rival Angels.
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