Nelson Cruz Hits DL; Leonys Martin Gets the Call

Nelson Cruz will again be forced to miss an extended period of time thanks to a strained hamstring.  The Texas Rangers have placed Cruz on the 15 day disabled list after an MRI exam taken Monday revealed a Grade 1 strain in his left hamstring.  Texas is expected to call up top prospect Leonys Martin to replace Cruz.

Cruz injured his hamstring during Sunday’s game against the Angels.  After hitting a ball to the right field corner, Cruz tweaked his muscle rounding first base and was forced to leave the game.

Though Cruz said his leg was feeling better following the game, Texas was worried the injury might cost him another extended trip to the DL.

Last season Cruz hit the disabled list three different times for hamstring related injuries.  The Rangers will again be without Cruz for an extended period; this time at least three weeks.

On the year, Cruz has hit .270/.322/.531.  Cruz’s 28 home runs and 84 RBI’s have put him in the top 10 among all American League batters in those categories.

After Cruz’s injury, speculation spread that the Rangers would look outside the organization to fill the wide void left by his possible absence.  Lance Berkman’s was the popular name to come up as an option.

But Rangers’ GM Jon Daniels quickly came out to quash the rumors, saying that Texas was likely to find Cruz’s replacement within their own system.

It looks like Daniels wasn’t bluffing, as the Rangers are preparing to call up their top outfield prospect Martin.

After defecting from Cuba in 2010, Martin signed a 5 year $15.5 million deal with the Rangers this May.  The 23 year old, considered an elite prospect by some, has played in 73 Minor League games since joining Texas, ranging from Rookie ball to Triple-A.

Martin has played mostly center field during his time in the minors, but he’s also seen some time in right.

Martin maintained an OPS of 1.007 with 15 extra base hits, 24 runs scored and 24 RBI’s in his 29 games at Double-A.  After his solid performance, the Rangers bumped Martin up a level.

Triple-A hasn’t been as kind to Martin, as he’s only managed a line of .263/.316/.314 over 40 games.  Still, in his first season of professional ball, Martin has combined to hit .295/.362/.421 across three levels and the Rangers think he’s ready for his debut.

For more on the Rangers, be sure to check out Nolan Writin’.