ARLINGTON, Texas _ Shin-Soo Choo's absence leaves the Rangers' leadoff spot open. Jurickson Profar, who took the spot Tuesday against the A's, is the most likely every day candidate, but manager Jeff Banister intends to keep his options open. Others include Rougned Odor, Delino DeShields and Ian Desmond. But if Profar excels there, as he did when he joined the team in late May, he could solidify the spot.
"He can earn that. I'm not too stubborn," Banister said. "This is still a guy we feel has all the qualities of being an above-average hitter. He's still learning. Still a young hitter."
Profar, 23, is hitting .272 with five homers, since getting called up May 27. He missed the previous two seasons because of injury. "There are times he gets stuck in the power stroke and then there are times when he settles into being very hitterish and using all parts of the field, depending on the situation," Banister said.
Odor has led off 31 times, DeShields 22 times. DeShields was the primary leadoff hitter for much of 2015, especially the last four months of the season and could be the option against left-handed pitchers. He hit .280 and had a .360 on-base percentage in 2015 compared to .251 and .335 against right-handers.
"With Profar, you gain that [production] from the left side," Banister said. "You lose some of the dynamic speed but you gain in the on-base [percentage]."
Desmond and Drew Stubbs are also potential leadoff options. The only big difference in hitting leadoff, Profar says, is trying to see more pitches.
"I like it because I get to set the tone for the whole lineup," he said. "It doesn't change the approach, but it's a little different trying to see more pitches and to help out our lineup [that way]."
