After hiding injury, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is back on the disabled list

Jarrod Saltalamacchia missed the final month of last season following surgery for Thoracic Outlet Sydrome, which causes neck and shoulder problems due to a rib pushing against a nerve. Now he’s headed to the disabled list again, but this time around upper back soreness is to blame. Saltalamacchia injured his back Monday, presumably before delivering a walk-off single in the ninth inning, and initially tried to keep the pain to himself. He finally told the team last night, but not before taking a called third strike as a pinch-hitter. Ron Washington isn’t happy:

He needs to mature. He has put us in a bad situation. What if he had walked last night and we tied the game? Was he going to tell me then that he couldn’t catch? I don’t care how badly he wants to play, you can’t just think about yourself. He was supposed to be healthy when we left spring training. That’s what he told us. I’m not disappointed in him for being hurt; that happens. I’m disappointed in how he has handled it.

Washington definitely has a point, although given how the past year or so has gone for Saltamacchia it’s tough to blame him too much for trying to play through another injury. He underwent an MRI exam this morning and a visit to a back specialist is also on the docket, but in the meantime Taylor Teagarden will get the bulk of the starts behind the plate for the Rangers and light-hitting veteran Matt Treanor will back him up after beginning the season at Triple-A.