Prince Fielder out of Rangers' Lineup Saturday with Herniated Disk in Neck

Prince Fielder is out of the Texas Rangers' starting lineup on Saturday with a herniated disk in his neck, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports. The loss of Fielder is just another blow to a Rangers team who have already seen the likes of Derek Holland, Jurickson Profar, Matt Harrison and others hit the shelf this season. 

Grant reports that Fielder received an injection Saturday to help combat the neck issue, and the severity of the injury remains unclear at this point. We've seen players miss a week with similar injuries (as Baltimore's Nick Markakis did in spring training of 2013), while others have undergone surgery (as New York's Bobby Parnell did in September of 2013). 

From an on-field standpoint, the loss isn't a drastic one for the Rangers, as Fielder was hitting just .247 with three home runs and 16 RBIs to this point. However, he did have three multi-hit days in his last four games, so seeing him miss time right as he was starting to get hot is certainly a letdown for Texas.

Fielder has been a disappointment with the Rangers so far, as many thought that moving his power to Rangers Ballpark in Arlington could make him an MVP candidate. The Rangers acquired Fielder last offseason in a one-for-one swap with the Tigers that sent Ian Kinsler to Detroit. Kinsler has thrived with the Tigers thus far, hitting .301 with four home runs and 19 RBIs, so if Fielder misses significant time, Detroit will be walking away as the early winners of the trade.