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Rangers place RHP Colby Lewis on DL; Recall LHP Martin Perez

Perez is seeking Major League debut

Arlington, Texas – The Texas Rangers announced this afternoon that the club has placed right-handed pitcher Colby Lewis on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Sunday, with tendinitis in his right forearm.  To take his place on the active roster, the club has recalled left-handed pitcher Martin Perez (#33) – pronounced mahr-TEEN – from Triple-A Round Rock.  Perez will be available in the bullpen for tonight’s game against Detroit, seeking to make his major league debut.

Lewis, the club’s Opening Day starter, lost his last start on Saturday vs. Colorado (4.0 IP, 12 H, 8 R-7 ER).  He is 6-6 with a 3.51 ERA (39 ER/100.0 IP) in 15 games/starts for Texas this season, ranking among A.L. leaders in complete games (T4th, 2), innings (6th), and strikeouts (T7th, 90).  He owns the majors’ lowest rate of walks-per-9-innings at 1.08 and his 7.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio is also the best of any pitcher in 2012.  The first date Lewis would be eligible to return is July 9, meaning he will not be active again until after the All-Star break.

Since rejoining the Rangers in 2010, Lewis has made a total of 87 starts in the regular and postseason for Texas.  The only other major league pitchers with as many starts in that span are C.J. Wilson (91), C.C. Sabathia (87), and Justin Verlander (87).

Perez, 21, has gone 5-5 with a 4.59 ERA (43 ER/84.1 IP) in 15 starts for the Express, posting 49 strikeouts against 38 walks.  He has won each of his last 2 starts with Round Rock, permitting just 2 runs over 16.0 innings in those outings as opponents went just 4-for-50 (.080).  In his most recent Pacific Coast League start on Thursday vs. Iowa, he pitched his first career complete game shutout with just 90 pitches (65 strikes).  He has gone 2-1 with a 3.10 ERA (10 ER/29.0 IP) over 4 starts in June.  Triple-A batters were hitting .249 (78-313), with lefties at .225 (25-111) and right-handers at .262 (53-202).  Perez has been rated one of the Rangers’ top five prospects by Baseball America in 4 straight seasons (2009-12), including the top billing last season and the number two spot entering 2012.

With these moves, the Rangers still have a full 40-man roster.

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