Joakim Soria to join 'Riders on rehab

FRISCO, TEXAS (JUNE 20, 2013) - The Frisco RoughRiders will receive right-handed relief pitcher Joakim Soria on a rehab assignment from the Texas Rangers, and he will be in uniform Thursday night when the Frisco RoughRiders open a series against the Corpus Christi Hooks. Soria has spent the entire 2013 season on the disabled list as he rehabs from the "Tommy John" ligament replacement surgery.

Fans may purchase tickets for games this week at the Dr Pepper Ballpark box office, by calling (972) 334-1900 or by visiting www.RidersBaseball.com.  Thursday, Friday and Saturday's games begin at 7:05 p.m., while Sunday's contest is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.

Soria has spent the entire 2013 season on the disabled list as he continues to rehab from "Tommy John" ligament replacement surgery on April 3, 2012. His recovery suffered a setback from a pectoral strain in May. When he appears for the RoughRiders, it will be his first professional outing as a member of the Texas organization.

Soria, 29, was signed by the Rangers this offseason on a two-year contract and was moved from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list on June 9. The Mexico native spent five years with the Kansas City Royals, primarily in the closer's role. He garnered two All-Star appearances, finished seventh in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2007 and tenth in the Cy Young voting in 2010. In five seasons he is 13-15 with a career 2.40 ERA in 298 major league outings and has averaged 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings in his career. He last pitched in 2011, when he went 5-5 with a career-high 4.03 ERA in 60 appearances and 28 saves for the Royals.

The Rangers rehabber has never pitched at the Double-A level. He pitched briefly in the Los Angeles Dodgers system in 2002 in the Gulf Coast League (Rookie) and appeared in seven games with the Fort Wayne Wizards in the Midwest League (San Diego, Class A) in 2006 before his selection in the Rule 5 Draft in 2007 by the Royals. He also pitched for the unaffiliated Diablos Rojos del Mexico in the Mexican League (Triple-A equivalent) in 2005 and 2006.

The RoughRiders conclude their season-long, 12-game home stand with a four-game series against the Corpus Christi Hooks Thursday through Sunday before the All-Star break on Monday and Tuesday.