ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – The Texas Rangers activated Hank Blalock from the 15-day disabled list for Friday night’s game against the Cleveland Indians, with the former All-Star third baseman making his major league debut at first base.
Blalock has been out since July 29 because of inflammation in his right shoulder. The problem makes throws across the diamond difficult, so he’ll be a first baseman at least for the rest of this season.
“I’m a little nervous, an opening day kind of feeling,” said Blalock, batting fifth against the Indians. “It’s a new experience for me.”
With Blalock taking over at first, rookie slugger Chris Davis moved to third base on Friday night. Davis, who played third in the minors last season, has 46 starts at first base for Texas this season but will play third for the rest of the season.
To create a roster spot for Blalock, Texas optioned third baseman Travis Metcalf to Triple-A Oklahoma.
Blalock has had an injury-plagued season, spending from April 26-July 17 on the DL because of a torn left hamstring and surgery to relieve carpal tunnel syndrome.
Entering Friday night’s game, Blalock was batting .273 with four homers and 15 RBIs in 31 games.
Blalock was at first base during a three-game rehab assignment with Double-A Frisco earlier this week, going 6-for-12 with three RBIs.
Blalock’s best season for the Rangers was 2004 when he had 32 homers and 110 RBIs, earning an All-Star berth for the second consecutive season.
Metcalf batted .214 with four home runs and eight RBI in 16 games over three different stints this season. He’s expected to be among the club’s minor league callups in September.
The Rangers will have to make another roster move on Saturday when they activate right-hander Brandon McCarthy from the 60-day DL for his first big league start of the season.
McCarthy hasn’t appeared in a major league game since Sept. 20, 2007, but he said he’s ready for the start against the Indians. He’s been out since March 30 with right forearm inflammation, shut down after throwing one inning in spring training.
McCarthy threw 13 shutout innings in his final two minor league rehab starts for Oklahoma since a workout in Arlington with team president and Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan on Aug. 7. McCarthy says his pitching mechanics have greatly improved since the session with Ryan.
At the start of spring training, the Rangers were counting on McCarthy to be a solid member of their rotation. Texas had traded promising left-hander John Danks to the Chicago White Sox for McCarthy in a five-player deal in December of 2006. While Danks has enjoyed success with the White Sox, McCarthy has struggled to stay healthy.
McCarthy went 5-10 with a 4.87 ERA in 22 starts for Texas last season, making two stays on the disabled list because of finger blisters and a stress fracture in his shoulder blade.
“I’m looking forward to getting back out there,” McCarthy said. “How I do will let me know whether I’m ready to face major league hitters. In April and May, it felt like it would never happen. It was a long stretch, a lot of downtime.”
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