ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers outfielder Tom Goodwin, the American League leader in steals, was injured running the bases and placed on the 15-day disabled list for the first time in his career on Saturday.
Goodwin was racing from first to third in a 7-2 loss at Los Angeles on Friday when he suffered a small tear in his left hip flexor muscle. An MRI Saturday showed fluid around the area and the slight tear, which is not considered significant but is expected to sideline him for at least a week.
To fill the roster spot, the Rangers called up highly touted outfielder Ruben Mateo from Triple-A Oklahoma. He was to be in uniform for Saturday night’s game against the Dodgers.
Goodwin, 30, has stolen 27 bases this season, five shy of the New York Mets’ Roger Cedeno for the major-league lead. He has collected 240 steals in his career, all but nine of those coming in the last five years.
Often used as the Rangers’ leadoff hitter, Goodwin is batting just .240 this season with one homer, 12 RBI and 40 runs scored in 55 games. Coming into this year, he was a career .277 hitter.
Goodwin spent four unproductive seasons with the Dodgers before being dealt in 1994 to Kansas City, where he played three-plus years and became known as one of the league’s top base stealers. He was traded to the Rangers in the middle of the 1997 campaign for third baseman Dean Palmer.
Mateo, 21, has been one of the top players in the Pacific Coast League this year. He leads the league with 81 hits and 50 runs scored, ranks fourth with a .340 average, second with 58 RBI and tied for fourth with 17 home runs. Used as a center fielder and designated hitter, Mateo was batting .434 (23-for-53) during a current 13-game hitting streak for Oklahoma.
Signed as an undrafted free agent in 1994, Mateo was among the last players cut by Texas during spring training. The Dominican Republic native batted .283 with four homers and 11 RBI in 24 exhibition games.