SURPRISE, Ariz. -- A despondent Adam Eaton, the Rangers' No. 2 starter, sounded like a pitcher headed for the disabled list after coming out of Wednesday's game with a strained tendon on the middle finger of his right hand.
Eaton faced just nine batters before coming out of the game. He missed three weeks last season (Aug. 7-21) with a strained tendon in the hand while pitching for the Padres.
"Pretty much one pitch, the last pitch I threw," Eaton said. "Similar injury, different tendon. It feels the same, just a different part."
Eaton is supposed to start on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers but said, "Judging by last year, I'm going to miss more than one start. It hurts just to squeeze the ball. I knew I couldn't put any pressure on it to throw a breaking ball." Eaton was on his way to have an MRI exam on the finger Wednesday afternoon.
T.R. Sullivan is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.