Arihara (callus) to miss start; Yang to step in

May 3rd, 2021

When makes his next start is uncertain after the righty received an injection on Saturday for soreness in the tissue under the skin as he deals with a callus on his right middle finger.

The treatment did relieve pain in the finger for Arihara, but Rangers manager Chris Woodward said Arihara will miss his next scheduled start on Wednesday against the Twins once the righty is reevaluated in the next couple of days. Woodward also said Arihara could need a short stint on the IL.

“One thing we want to make sure is that [Arihara is] 100 percent when he comes back,” Woodward said. “We'll probably push his start back, but not put him on the IL. But if it doesn't bounce back and it still bothers him, then potentially we could put him on the IL. As soon as he's back healthy, like 100 percent, we're going to get him back in there, but he feels good about everything.”

In Arihara’s last start, he gave up six runs, which came on four home runs, in 2 2/3 innings against the Red Sox. Woodward said the issues with the callus played a part in the outing.

“That was kind of part of the reason why he was having a hard time letting the ball go,” Woodward said. “It didn't feel right, and [he] couldn't really throw hard in between outings, so there was a little bit of a ripple effect because of that. So we want to make sure he's 100 percent.”

Following Sunday's 5-3 win over the Red Sox, the Rangers announced left-hander Hyeon-Jong Yang as Wednesday’s starter against the Twins. It will be his first career MLB start.

Yang has been used twice out of the bullpen since making his MLB debut on April 26 and has allowed two runs in 8 2/3 innings over his two outings. Prior to debuting for the Rangers, the 33-year-old Yang was a starter during his 14-year career in the Korean Baseball Organization and posted a 3.83 ERA over that span.

Probables set for Twins series
The Rangers have their rotation set for the upcoming road series against the Twins.

Dane Dunning (1-1, 3.97 ERA) will take the hill in the series opener in Minnesota on Monday. Kyle Gibson (3-0, 2.16 ERA) is set to pitch on Tuesday at Target Field for the first time as a Ranger after his seven-year stint with the Twins. Yang will take the mound on Wednesday, and Jordan Lyles (1-2, 7.39 ERA) is set to get the nod in the series finale on Thursday.