Ian Kinsler likely to remain at 2B; Profar may open 2013 in minors

Ian Kinsler will likely continue manning the keystone for Texas. (Getty Images)

Given the talent drift out of and away from Arlington this offseason, many observers expected the Rangers to get creative with their their roster, or at least their defensive arrangements. That, however, doesn't appear to be the case.

Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports that, according to Texas GM Jon Daniels, veteran Ian Kinsler will "almost certainly" remain at second base in 2013. Given the free-agent landscape and turnover, some thought had been given to moving Kinsler to first or even an outfield corner. But that's not going to happen, at least not yet.

In a related matter, Jurickson Profar, perhaps the top prospect in all of baseball, might open 2013 back in the minors (although, as Daniels notes, Profar will be given a shot to win a place on the active roster in spring training). With Kinsler at second and Elvis Andrus installed at short, there's simply no room for him in the lineup, absent a somewhat radical position shift or trade.

Kinsler, 30, is coming off a season in which he posted a career low .749 OPS. Profar, meanwhile, batted .281/.368/.452 as a 19-year-old in Double-A. He struggled across 17 plate appearances in the majors, but the sample size is all but meaningless.

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