Elvis Andrus Update

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On Tuesday, Elvis Andrus was scratched from action for a couple of days to a recurrence of arm soreness. At the time, some concern was raised over the possibility of the injury being something possibly more serious, a concern which appears to be dissipating a bit.

While Andrus will be examined on Friday by Keith Meister to determine a throwing timetable, the fact that he will be slated for DH duty in minor league action today suggests that the organization doesn't believe it to be anything serious.

For his part, Andrus seems to believe that his soreness is the result of not throwing at all during the offseason. If that turns out to indeed be the case, we'll be able to breathe a bit more easily heading into the final week-plus of Spring Training.

Jarrod Parker Out for Season

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It isn't specifically Rangers news, but it's news that could have longer-reaching implications on the AL West in 2014. Jarrod Parker will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the 2014 season.

Parker was a critical piece of the Oakland rotation in 2013, and was 3-1 against the Rangers while only aloowing a total of 17 well-hit balls off of Rangers bats during those 4 starts as well as holding the lineup to a .590 OPS.

After losing Bartolo Colon to free agency, the A's were left with some questions in their rotation. Now, with Parker out for the season and A.J. Griffin looking like he'll miss the start of the season with forearm soreness, the A's face a problem that isn't that dissimilar from the Rangers. As it stands now, every team in the AL West has some big question marks in significant chunks of the starting rotation.

Scott Feldman to Start Opening Day for Astros

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This morning, Astros manager Bo Porter has announced that former Rangers pitcher Scott Feldman will be the club's Opening Day starter against the Yankees.

Feldman, of course, was once the Opening Day starter for the Rangers after what was, at the time, viewed as a breakout season in 2009. After 2010, however, he was not much more than a replacement-level pitcher for the Rangers until his departure after the 2012 season.

His performance in 2013 seemed to revitalize his market value, and the Astros signed him to a 3-year deal for $30 million, most of which will likely see him as an innings-eater at the bottom of the AL West.

So, if these kinds of things interest you, then there's that.