Rangers' Harrison expects to open season on 60-day DL

Though Texas Rangers left-hander Matt Harrison announced in late January that "everything feels good" roughly seven months after undergoing spinal fusion surgery, a recent setback appears to have destroyed his chances of returning early in the 2015 campaign.

Harrison is currently battling stiffness in his right side that has prevented him from stretching out his throwing program to 105 feet, and the 29-year-old said Saturday he expects to open the season on the 60-day disabled list.

“My job is to just get as healthy as I can and get myself right so I don’t have something happen like it did last year when I tried to come back,” Harrison said. “I’m just going to focus on that and get ready to contribute whenever it may be.”

Harrison, who has logged just 28 innings in the majors since 2013, is optimistic that more stretching and continued throwing will help his hips loosen up, though it currently appears as though he won't take the mound for the Rangers until June, at the earliest.