Right-hander Kris Benson was activated off the disabled list on Wednesday and immediately went into the Rangers bullpen. Benson, who has been sidelined with elbow inflammation, will be used as a reliever for the first time in his Major League career. He has made 197 starts, including two for the Rangers, but has never been used in relief. Among active pitchers, only Tom Glavine (682), CC Sabathia (260) and Jake Peavy (205) have made more starts in the Major Leagues without having made one relief appearance. Ben Sheets, who is still unsigned, is also on the list with 221 starts. Scott Feldman took Benson’s spot in the rotation and the Rangers are going to stay with him for now. Benson was 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA in two starts before going on the disabled list. “I understand Feldman has thrown well the last two times out and they want to continue the flow of the rotation,” Benson said. “I’m ready to do whatever they need. If they need me to throw multiple innings or get a couple of guys out, it doesn’t matter. I’ll definitely have to make some adjustments but I’ve been around long enough.”

Manager Ron Washington said Benson will be used in long relief for now. Benson, Jason Jennings and Derek Holland are all former starters who can give the Rangers multiple innings if needed on a given night. Washington met with Benson before Wednesday’s game with Oakland and asked the nine-year veteran if he felt he could make the adjustment to the bullpen. “He said that’s something he has to find out and we have to find out,” Washington said. “He’ll figure it out. His comment was he’ll go down there and talk to Eddie Guardado.” Benson said the last time he was used in relief was as a freshman in college at Clemson.  ”I just do what I’m asked to do,” Benson said. “I’ve been in the league long enough to know the manager’s decision is what goes. I’m not going to buck the system or wave any red flags if I don’t get my way. I want to be a starter, but I’ll do whatever it takes to help this team. I’d rather be in the bullpen here than the rotation at Triple-A.”  Luis Mendoza was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Benson.

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Rangers starter Kris Benson is not overly concerned about the fact that soreness in his right elbow has pushed his scheduled start back to Saturday’s game in Baltimore. Instead, the right-hander, who was originally scheduled to pitch on Wednesday against the Blue Jays, says he is not worried. “Everything’s good for Saturday,” Benson said in the visitors’ clubhouse at Rogers Centre on Tuesday. “I’ll play catch today, get on the mound tomorrow and just treat these next few days as a normal get-me-ready for Saturday.” Benson said that he first experienced the problem with his elbow during a Minor League game in Peoria, Ariz., toward the end of Spring Training. The right-hander said the subpar pitching mound on the field, in particular, played a role in causing the injury.

Kris Benson gave up eight runs in five
innings and the Rangers three-game winning streak came to an
end with a 15-2 loss to the Tigers on Friday afternoon.
Miguel Cabrera’s fourth-inning grand slam off Benson was the
big blow that sent the Rangers to their first loss of the
season. The Rangers managed just one run on five singles and
a walk in seven innings off Armando Galarraga, a 13-game
winner for the Tigers last year after being acquired from
Texas in the offseason. Benson, who won a job in Spring
Training, was making his first appearance in a Major League
game since Sept. 27, 2006. He allowed an unearned run in the
second, an earned run in the third, and then Cabrera broke it
open with a grand slam in a five-run
fourth.

Kris Benson’s two-year odyssey has come to an end. After two years of wandering through the rehabilitation and Minor League desert, the next time Benson takes the mound will be in a Major League game. “This is probably more satisfying than first getting to the big leagues or anything I’ve done in the past ten years,” Benson said. “It was an uphill battle and frustrating. I was close to quitting. A lot of different emotions have gone on in the last few years, now I’m just glad to be in this clubhouse and put on the Rangers uniform.” Benson came to the end of the Spring Training portion of the comeback trail with a five-inning outing against the Royals on Saturday, allowing three runs in five innings. He allowed eight hits but did not walk a batter and struck out five. Only one of the three runs was earned, dropping his ERA to 4.09. That’s now the lowest by one of the Rangers five starters this spring. “I thought he had an outstanding spring,” manager Ron Washington said. “I think he’s going to be a welcome addition for us.” The Rangers lost, 5-4, but Benson is ready to go. He’ll start on Friday against the Tigers at Comerica Park as the Rangers’ No. 4 starter. He follows Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla and Brandon McCarthy, and will be ahead of Matt Harrison. In the spring ERA standings, Benson is on top. “Everything felt good today,” Benson said. “Everything was sharp and I wanted to keep myself on a roll. I didn’t want to let it stop. I wanted to keep it going into the season. I’m looking forward to the season and getting a second chance to prove myself. I’m going to get even more and more excited until I toe the rubber in Detroit.”

The five strikeouts in five innings was the biggest thing that stood out on Saturday. He had struck out just nine in 17 innings prior to that. The five strikeouts suggest that Benson’s slider was sharper than it had been all spring. He has been working on a new grip, and he broke it out against the Royals. “That’s what I got some of those strikeouts on,” Benson said. “Today was as good as it’s been. It’s giving me a new look.”

Kris Benson will start for the Rangers in place of Vicente Padilla against the San Francisco Giants on Monday. It could be the single biggest start by a Rangers pitcher this spring. “It’s an interesting start,” pitching coach Mike Maddux said. “Everybody is honing their craft and showing what they can do.” Benson is trying to show he belongs in the Rangers’ rotation at the start of the season. The Rangers are trying to decide who will be their fifth starter, Benson or Scott Feldman. Feldman had the job coming into camp, but the Rangers are strongly considering the possibility of moving him into middle relief. That would open a spot for Benson, who was signed as a Minor League free agent at the start of camp. He is 2-0 with a 4.91 ERA in four Cactus League games, including two starts. In 11 innings, he has allowed nine hits and walked three, striking out seven. “We’re going to keep running him out there and give him a chance to show what he can do,” manager Ron Washington said. Benson, a seven-year veteran, has not pitched in the Major Leagues since 2006 because of a torn right rotator cuff. He made 30 starts for the Orioles in 2006, when he went 11-12 with a 4.82 ERA in 183 innings. Last season, Benson made 11 starts for Triple-A Lehigh Valley in the Phillies organization and went 1-4 with a 5.52 ERA. According to the terms of his contract, he can become a free agent on May 5 if he is not added to the Rangers’ 25-man roster. Padilla will do his work in a Minor League game.

Kris Benson pitched five innings in the Rangers’ intrasquad game at Rangers Field 1 in Surprise, Ariz., on Saturday. The game featured the same Minor League fielders throughout, including Julio Borbon, German Duran, Greg Golson, Manny Pina, Justin Smoak, Jose Vallejo, Emerson Frostad and others. Benson gave up three runs (two earned) on seven hits. He fanned seven and didn’t issue a walk, throwing 52 of his 70 pitches for strikes. Benson signed a Minor League contract with the Rangers with an invitation to Spring Training on Feb. 21 and is trying to win a job in the starting rotation.