The Rangers have made what might look like a minor transaction to the casual fan Friday, as they placed reliever Shawn Tolleson on the family medical emergency list and recalled infielder Jurickson Profar from Triple-A -- also related is Rougned Odor begins serving a seven-game suspension Friday.
But that name, Jurickson Profar, is far from a minor one. At least it didn't used to be.
One might recall that Profar arrived with the Rangers in September of 2012 as a heavily-hyped teenager (19 years, 195 days). He was the youngest player in baseball and went 2 for 4 with a double and home run in his big-league debut. The sky was the limit. Next spring, pretty much every outlet that ranks such things pegged Profar as baseball's number one overall prospect.
He would disappoint. In 324 plate appearances that season, Profar hit .234/.308/.336 with six homers and two steals.
Still, when the Rangers traded Ian Kinsler for Prince Fielder that following offseason, they appeared to be clearing a path for Profar. And why not? Just because a player struggles at age 20 doesn't mean he should be tossed aside.
Instead, Profar tore a muscle in his shoulder in spring training and ended up missing all of the 2014 season. He never really recovered from that heading into the next season, as he needed surgery to repair the torn labrum in his right shoulder in the spring of 2015. So another season was essentially lost, though he was able to return in late August and play in Class A and Double-A for a brief bit.
Still, this is a big-time uphill battle. Having one's age-21 season completely wiped out and most of his age-22 season as well can certainly impede development.
That being said, Profar is obviously supremely physically talented and is still only 23 years old. It would be foolish to believe he will never make it. Obviously he might not, but that's a risk with every player. Discounting him based upon the very short stints at a ridiculously young age in the majors is bad, just as expecting him to never stay healthy for long stretches is short-sighted.
So far this season for Triple-A Round Rock, Profar was hitting .284/.356/.426 with nine doubles, five homers, 26 RBI, four steals and 28 runs.
Now, with Odor down for seven games, Profar will get a quick chance to play himself into more MLB playing time. It's tough not to root for him after the way 2014 and 2015 unfolded for him.
