Rangers decline to exercise 2013 club options for RHPs Scott Feldman and Yoshinori Tateyama

 The Texas Rangers announced today that the team has declined its 2013 club options for right-handed pitchers Scott Feldman and Yoshinori Tateyama, making both pitchers free agents.  The Rangers have also reinstated right-handed pitcher Neftali Feliz from the 60-day disabled list and purchased the contract of right-handed pitcher Justin Miller from Triple-A Round Rock.

Feldman, 29, has spent his entire career in the Texas organization since he was selected in the 30th round of the 2003 June draft.  He was 6-11 with a 5.09 ERA (70 ER/123.2 IP) in 29 games/21 starts for Texas in 2012.  In his major league career, Feldman has gone 39-44 with a 4.81 ERA over 204 games/101 starts.

Tateyama, 36, has gone 3-0 with a 5.75 ERA (39 ER/61.0 IP) over 53 relief appearances with Texas the past two seasons, his only major league action after a 12-year professional career in Japan.  He had 3 stints with the Rangers in 2012, allowing 17 earned runs in 17.0 innings.

Feliz, 24, had season-ending “Tommy John” ligament transplant surgery performed on his right elbow by Rangers Team Physician Dr. Keith Meister at the Medical Center of Arlington on August 1.  He was originally placed on the 15-day disabled list on May 19 and transferred to the 60-day disabled list on June 16.  He was a part of the club’s Opening Day rotation, going 3-1 with a 3.16 ERA (15 ER/42.2 IP) in 8 games/7 starts.

Miller, 25, did not pitch this season after having successful surgery to repair a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on April 18.  The surgery was performed by Rangers Team Physician Dr. Keith Meister at the Medical Center of Arlington.  The Rangers placed Miller on unconditional release waivers on April 23 and re-signed him to a minor league contract on April 30.  Miller has gone 14-6 with a 2.84 ERA over 118 games in the minor leagues, all as a reliever.  He was the Rangers 2011 Minor League Reliever of the Year.