It's easy to forget Jurickson Profar is still only 23 years old. We've been hearing about him for an awful long time now. Profar was once the top prospect in baseball and he did spend the bulk of the 2013 season with the Rangers, but shoulder problems kept him out of action the entire 2014 and 2015 seasons.
Whenever a player misses two straight seasons, it's really hard to know what to expect when they return. Profar is ultra-talented, no doubt about it, but would his swing be compromised at all? What about his throwing arm? Shoulder surgery is a big deal, and missing two crucial years of development time at a young age is not insignificant either.
Last fall brought the first signs Profar could still one day be an impact player. He hit .267/.352/.453 with two home runs in 20 Arizona Fall League games last year, and that was him just picking up a bat after two years of inactivity. Profar shook off the rust and was one of the most productive players in the league right away. That was encouraging.
The Rangers brought Profar along slowly in spring training, and, with their big league infield full, they sent him to Triple-A to start the regular season to catch up on lost at-bats. He needed to play. Sitting around on the bench wasn't going to help after two years of shelf. Profar went to Triple-A and put up very good numbers in 41 games: .284/.356/.426 with nine doubles and five homers.
What did it take to get Profar back to the big leagues? A punch.
The Rangers called the young switch-hitter up when Rougned Odor had to serve his seven-game suspension for punching Jose Bautista. Profar took over as the temporary everyday second baseman and went 12 for 33 (.364) with a double, a triple, and two homers in the seven games.
The team's original plan was to send Profar back to Triple-A once Odor returned, but he was playing so well they just couldn't do it. He's stuck around and has since started three more games, one at second and two at DH. On Tuesday night, Profar will add a new position to his resume:
.@ColeHamels takes the mound tonight against the Astros! https://t.co/WXBCmo95p8#LetsGoRangerspic.twitter.com/FFvalLn7y3
— #VoteRangers (@Rangers) June 7, 2016
Yes, first base. Profar has never played the position before, not at any level, but Texas wants him in the lineup and they're finding ways to do it. He's not the first player to have to play out of position early in his career and he won't be the last. Profar's not complaining and why would he? He's just happy to be back in MLB.
The Rangers come into Tuesday with the best record in the AL at 35-22 thanks to their recent hot streak. They've won four straight games, eight of their last nine games, and 13 of their last 16 games. Profar has not been around for all 16 of those games, but he's been able to make himself valuable in a short period of time.
