Even though neither were expected to be contributors of any significance in 2014, both Miles Mikolas and Aaron Poreda were thrust into key roles with the Texas Rangers thanks to the long list of injuries suffered by the entire team, particularly the pitching staff.
Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News is reporting that both will be sold to Yomiuri of the Japanese Central League for the 2015 season after both saw a fair amount of work with the Rangers in 2014 — Poreda out of the bullpen and MIkolas in the starting rotation.
The moves would clear two spots off the Rangers' 40-man roster, giving them 38 players with the ability to add two, presumably via free agency.
Mikolas, 26, went 2-5 with a 6.44 ERA in 10 starts before being shut down with arm fatigue to close the season. His high-water mark came in a start at Seattle, when he tossed eight shutout innings. It ended up being his final start of the year.
Poreda, a former first-round draft choice who hadn’t pitched in the majors since 2009, was 2-1 with a 5.91 ERA in 26 relief appearances.
