Neftali Feliz took another step — a small one — in his increasingly long journey back to the big leagues on Tuesday when he was activated from the Triple-A disabled list and rejoined the Round Rock Express after hitting the DL four weeks ago with general fatigue and soreness.
Feliz underwent Tommy John surgery back in 2012 and made a September return to the bullpen last season with good results in low-leverage situations. He was basically gifted the closer's job for the Rangers after the departure of Joe Nathan but failed to win the job with an ineffective spring and un-Feliz like velocity on his fastball.
The timeline for Feliz to get back to the big leagues is totally unknown now. Who knows, it's sad to say but he might never get back, at least with the Rangers.
One thing is for sure, though, the Rangers could certainly use him. The bullpen has been shaky all season with the exception of Jason Frasor and Joakim Soria, along with low-leverage guys like Aaron Poreda and Nick Martinez.
If, and it's a big if, Feliz can regain his form and especially that velocity, he'll be back in Texas because the Rangers need any help they can get desperately.
