Martin Perez injury: Rangers lefty dealing with elbow inflammation

Texas Rangers left hander Matin Perez underwent an MRI to determine the cause of elbow discomfort in his pitching arm.

MRI on Rangers Martin Perez showed left elbow inflammation. Likely headed to DL. He said he felt it for first time last night.

— Anthony Andro (@aandro) May 11, 2014

The team is hopeful that Perez will avoid a lengthy stint on the disabled list, but any issue with a pitcher's elbow raises concern that Tommy John surgery could be a possibility. Perez is likely to be placed on the 15-day disabled list soon. Lone Star Ball's Adam J. Morris expects Nick Tepesch to stand in for Perez while he rests. Morris also points out that Perez' DL stint should be a short one, but if the injury becomes more serious, he could end up missing a significant amount of time.

The 23-year-old has thrown 51⅓ innings this season, posting a 4.38 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. However, his 3.65 fielding-independent pitching shows he's pitched a little better than his ERA suggests.

Perez signed a four-year, $12.5 million deal with three option years that could keep him in Texas through 2020.