Arlington, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - The Texas Rangers placed pitcher Yu Darvish on the 15-day disabled list to start the season because of neck stiffness.
Darvish was scheduled to start Monday's opener against Philadelphia, but was scratched from that duty last week. Tests revealed no structural issues and he had a pain-free throwing session on Saturday. He could return as early as next weekend.
The Rangers also placed second baseman Jurickson Profar and pitcher Matt Harrison on the 15-day DL, while catcher Geovany Soto will start the year on the 60-day disabled list after undergoing surgery last week to have torn meniscus repaired in his right knee.
Profar is expected to miss at least the first two months of the season recovering from a torn muscle in his right shoulder. Harrison has been bothered by stiffness in his lower back after recovering from a pair of surgical procedures to correct a herniated disk that limited him to just two starts in 2013.
[SportsNetwork.com]
