ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rangers ace Yu Darvish could get back in the Texas rotation without making a rehabilitation start after he is eligible to come off the disabled list. General manager Jon Daniels said before Mondays season opener that Darvish "appears to be healthy and strong" after consecutive days of throwing over the weekend. Darvish was scheduled to start the opener against Philadelphia until neck stiffness during training camp about two weeks ago. "Very, very encouraged," manager Ron Washington said. "The report I got, it was just as good as it was before he got hurt." The Rangers put Darvish on the disabled list Sunday while setting their 25-man roster, but the move was retroactive to March 21. He would be eligible to return Saturday. Daniels said the Rangers havent committed to when Darvish will return to the rotation. But the GM also said Darvish wouldnt necessarily have to pitch in a rehab game before making his season debut. "I think well probably accomplish a lot of that on the side, extended bullpen so to speak," Daniels said. "Were going to sit down and meet before we lay out a plan." Darvish last faced hitters March 16 in a spring training game. He threw a 32-pitch bullpen session Sunday, a day after throwing off flat ground. He will throw again Tuesday. Darvish finished second in the AL Cy Young Award voting last season when he led the majors with 277 strikeouts. The Rangers are also without left-handers Matt Harrison (back) and Derek Holland (left knee). Harrison could be return before the end of the April. Colby Lewis, who missed all of last season recovering from elbow surgery and then having hip surgery, is making a minor league start Tuesday after a solid spring. "We are going to get a few of these guys back pretty soon," Daniels said. "Its an opportunity for other guys to step up, and when were healthy and we get Colby and Yu back in a week or whatever it is, and get Matt back two weeks after that, I think youll look up and be like weve got some tough calls to make with other guys who have stepped up, and have stepped up and seized that opportunity. I dont buy into all the doom and gloom stuff," he said. Tanner Scheppers made his first career start for Texas on opening day, and is to be followed by Martin Perez, Robbie Ross and Joe Saunders. None were in the Rangers rotation at the start of last season -- Scheppers and Ross were relievers. The fifth starter is expected to be right-hander Nick Martinez, a right-hander who has never pitched about Double-A and isnt yet on the 25-man roster. The Rangers have said Martinez is the scheduled starter Saturday night at Tampa Bay. "Just because Darvish comes off on the fifth doesnt mean Martinez is going to get kicked out," Washington said. 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Jim Leyland, in his eighth playoffs, has never had a starting rotation he trusts as much as the grouping of Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez and Doug Fister.PHILADELPHIA -- Carlos Ruiz is staying put. Ruiz and the Phillies have agreed to a $26 million, three-year contract that will keep the former All-Star catcher in Philadelphia, two people familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press. The contract includes a club option for 2017. The people spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because the deal hasnt been officially announced. Ruiz, who turns 35 in January, hit .268 with five homers and 37 RBIs in 92 games last year after serving a 25-game suspension for using a banned amphetamine. He also spent time on the disabled list. Ruiz is known for excellent defensive skills and strong rapport with the pitching staff. He had career-highs with a .325 average, 16 homers and 68 RBIs in 2012, when he made his first All-Star team. Several teams actively sought Ruiz on the free-agent market, and retaining him was Philadelphias top priority. Ruiz, who earned $5 million last season, will make $8.5 million in each of the next three years. The club option is for $4.5 million with a $500,000 buyout. RRuiz was a second baseman from Panama when he signed with the Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1998.dddddddddddd He was converted to catcher, made his major league debut in 2006 and established himself as one of the premier backstops in the league. Ruiz is a career .274 hitter with 57 homers and 336 RBIs in eight seasons. Mostly used as the No. 8 hitter in a lineup that once featured four 30-homer guys in 2009, Ruiz has batted in the middle of the order often the last two seasons. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has now given lucrative deals to four regulars from the Phillies 2008 World Series championship team. Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley also got big contracts in that order. Pitcher Cole Hamels, the NLCS and World Series MVP that year, signed a $144 million, six-year contract in July 2012. Coming off their first losing season since 2002, the Phillies gave free-agent outfielder Marlon Byrd a $16 million, two-year deal last week. Amaro is still looking for starting pitching and bullpen help. ' ' '