The Texas Rangers sit atop the American League, but that spot on top of the mountain may not last for long. After already announcing Derek Holland would join Yu Darvish on the disabled list, the team learned Colby Lewis could be out of action for up to two months with a strained right lat muscle.
Lewis, who was coming off a two-hit, complete game win over the Oakland Athletics on June 16, was pulled early from his start on Tuesday and sent for MRIs. The results were the last thing Texas needed as it showed the Rangers would be without a key piece of their rotation, who had a 3.21 ERA and 1.02 WHIP this season. The 36-year-old Lewis was in the midst of an unbelievable season, but now will be out until August.
The Rangers will now have to rely on a rotation of Cole Hamels, Martin Perez, Nick Martinez and two eventual call-ups to take the place of Holland and Lewis on the roster. It's a brutal blow considering what this rotation could have been if healthy with Darvish, Hamels, Lewis, Holland and Perez.