The Texas Rangers, by all accounts, made a coup when they dealt closer Joakim Soria to the Detroit Tigers for the Tigers' top two pitching prospects, reliever Corey Knebel and starter Jake Thompson. The thought was that Knebel would likely see the bigs this season and could figure into the closer competition for the 2015 season.
Now, Knebel is being shut down for the remainder of the season for a sprain of his ulnar collateral ligament, which is usually the ligament involved when Tommy John surgery is necessary. The club insists Knebel shouldn't require surgery and that he only needs rest and rehab. The plan is for him to start throwing again sometime in November if everything goes well.
The Rangers also shut down hard-throwing reliever Wilmer Font, who has already missed a season due to Tommy John. He will undergo surgery to remove a bone spur in his elbow and he should be ready to roll by the start of the 2015 season.
Knebel finishes his season with a 3.75 ERA in his nine games with Triple-A Round Rock since the Rangers acquired him.
