Rangers place RHP Yu Darvish on 15-day disabled list; purchase contract of LHP Alex Claudio from Triple-A Round Rock

Arlington, Texas -- The Texas Rangers announced prior to tonight's game that the club has placed right-handed pitcher Yu Darvish on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Sunday, with right elbow inflammation. To take his spot on the active roster, the team has purchased the contract of left-handed pitcher Alex Claudio (#65) from Triple-A Round Rock.

Darvish will undergo further tests and examination on his elbow. He last pitched on Saturday in Houston, taking the loss in the Rangers' 8-3 defeat (4.0 IP, 9 H, 6 R-5 ER, 4 BB, 7 SO, 113 pitches). For the season, Darvish is 10-7 with a 3.06 ERA in 22 games/starts for Texas. He leads the major leagues with 11.35 strikeouts per 9 innings and his 182 strikeouts rank tied for 4th in the American League. This is the third disabled list stint of his major league career, the others from July 7-22, 2013 (right trapezius strain) and March 21-April 5 (neck stiffness).

Claudio will be in uniform tonight seeking his major league debut. The 22-year-old has gone a combined 6-3 with a 1.66 ERA (17 ER/92.0 IP) and 4 saves over 27 games/9 starts with Myrtle Beach (High-A), Frisco (AA), and Round Rock (AAA). Minor league opponents have a .224 (75-335) average with 13 walks and 84 strikeouts, and left-handed batters have hit just .195 (17-87) this season. He was promoted to Round Rock for his first Triple-A action on Aug. 4 with his most recent appearance coming last night vs. Reno (1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 11 pitches). The Rangers 2013 Minor League Reliever of the Year, he has a career 2.05 ERA (59 ER/259.1 IP) and 0.979 WHIP figure over 114 games/13 starts in his professional career. A native of Puerto Rico, he was selected by the Rangers in the 27th round of the 2010 June draft.

With the addition of Claudio, the Rangers now have 39 players on the club's 40-man roster.

ROSS JR. SCHEDULED TO START TOMORROW: Left-handed pitcher Robbie Ross Jr. is expected to be recalled to start tomorrow night's series finale with Tampa Bay after Darvish's placement on the disabled list. A roster move to add Ross would be made tomorrow. Ross went 2-4 with a 5.61 ERA (38 ER/61.0 IP) in 18 games/9 starts before he was optioned to Round Rock on June 17. He has gone 4-4 with a 5.10 ERA (27 ER/47.2 IP) in 9 games/8 starts with Round Rock, including a 2.91 ERA (11 ER/34.0 IP) in his last 5 starts.