Rangers Injury Woes Continue

The Texas Rangers may be without their top young star for the second straight season.  Jurickson Profar was a consensus number one prospect in the organization just two years ago.  However, the 21-year old’s stock has plummeted since he tore a muscle in his right shoulder in a pre-season game last March.  Profar will need surgery to repair the tear on Monday, after he re-injured it in his final tune-ups before training camp.

The rangy infielder has been monitored with MRIs all off-season as he ramped up his rehab.  His latest exam on Tuesday revealed the damage.

Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels was impressed with the rehabilitation process until now, stating that trainers and doctors had been giving him “all kinds of green lights so far.”

The best case scenario for Profar is that the tear is limited to his labrum, which would mean he could return to the lineup some time in the fall.  That’s little solace for a Texas team that was plagued with injuries through the entire 2014 season.  The Rangers had an astounding number of man-games lost to injuries,  needing 40 different pitchers just to survive until the end of September.   They also set the MLB record for the most players used in a 25-man roster.

Profar was to be a big part of team trying to rebound from back to back World Series losses in 2010 and 2011.  He batted .234 with 6 home runs and 26 RBIs in just 85 games in 2013.  He also proved to be very effective defensively at multiple positions.  The team had won more than 90 games in four straight seasons heading into last year’s spring training.

They may still have high hopes for the upcoming campaign, but if the Rangers other injured returnees have anything near the setback that Profar has had, their battle may be over before it even begins.

 

Rodney Hiemstra

@therodbot

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