ARLINGTON, Texas _ There was a time when making Jurickson Profar a regular in the Rangers starting lineup would have been a very big deal. He was the game's biggest prospect. The Rangers were the majors' model franchise with a limitless supply of prospects and a long window of opportunity. The moment would have been special.
This is not what "special" looks like.
Profar, who is still only 25, but more than five years removed from his major-league debut, moved into the starting lineup to replace injured Rougned Odor. Isiah Kiner-Falefa was called up from Triple-A Round Rock to take over on the bench. Profar will probably get at least three weeks of regular playing time while Odor heals a wrecked hamstring. There is no prognosis for how long it might take to heal this wreck of a start to the Rangers season.
Profar's return to starting came on a night when Martin Perez barely got out of the first inning and didn't record an out in the fourth inning. The offense's response was a figurative "Hold our beer." They left the bases loaded in each of the first two innings. And the response was a grisly 11-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. It was their ninth loss in 13 games this season; the Rangers have trailed by at least five runs at some point in seven of those losses.
Maybe the Rangers will gather themselves and make a season out of things; maybe it's going to get uglier before it gets better.
About Profar, though, at least there is still the chance for a bright immediate future.
He is, he acknowledged, kind of reborn with a new chance to play.
"Yeah, it does feel that way," Profar said before going 0-for-4 with a walk. "It feels good. I've always had the attitude that I know can be a great player. I've never lost that. I'm going to continue working on that, to reach my level. ... I'm just going to do me."
For the last four years, it's been hard to determine exactly who he was. He was a shortstop, who then moved to second base after Elvis Andrus was given a contract extension. He was a second baseman until a series of shoulder issues forced him to miss two years and provided Odor the chance to land the job. He was at different times a left fielder, a first baseman, dabbled a bit in center field at the World Baseball Classic and finally landed on the bench in the thankless role of utility player. Utility player is a nicer way of saying "bench guy."
"Traditionally, a utility player is an older player who has been an everyday player who has transitioned out of being an everyday player," manager Jeff Banister said Tuesday. "Jurickson was not that. He was still a really young player who was injured. He never really worked his way out of being an everyday player. So yes, it's definitely a challenge. That's why I love his maturity. He accepted what the role was, but never accepted being a utility player."
On Tuesday, Mike Trout was 2-for-4 with a home run, an RBI and a run scored, and Jefry Marte and Martin Maldonado were each 3-for-5 with two RBIS for the Angels.
Drew Robinson doubled home Ryan Rua for the Rangers' lone run in the second inning.
