UPDATE: After an MRI on Tuesday, Texas Rangers starter Tommy Hunter will miss two to three more weeks with a right groin strain.
Tommy Hunter was all set to return to Arlington to join the Texas Rangers roster, either in the starting rotation or the bullpen, after Monday night's rehab start in Triple-A Round Rock.
He cruised through six innings and allowed just one unearned run with some pretty darn good stuff.
Now, on Tuesday, he's back in Arlington, but it's for an MRI.
Really? Yup, really.
Hunter tweaked his groin injury on the last pitch he threw Monday night and is back in Arlington for an MRI on what was described as "localized soreness in his groin."
Let's go back a couple of months to the end of spring training when Hunter, in his final spring start, injured the same groin and set off a domino effect that moved Alexi Ogando from his lockdown role in the 8th inning to the rotation. That move has, of course, worked out pretty well for Ogando, but it might not be in the best interest of this year's Rangers team with the sad shape of the bullpen other than Feliz this year.
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Now, Hunter's re-injuring of the groin is setting off a similar reaction. Just when we thought there was help on the way, there's not anymore. At this point, the Rangers will be fortunate to have Hunter back by the All-Star break, I'd guess. But that's just a guess.
I still think the best thing for this team, this year, would be to move Ogando back to the 8th inning and have preferably Hunter, maybe the rehabbing Scott Feldman, fill a rotation spot. But that has no chance of happening for at least a while now.
