Jurickson Profar hasn't played shortstop in a baseball game since Dominican ball back in 2013. He hasn't played a game in the field, period, since March of 2014 during spring training. That was before a recurring shoulder issue reared its ugly head again last spring and forced him to miss his second straight season as the game's former top prospect.
How fast the great can fall, huh?
For Profar, Monday's intrasquad game will be a really big deal, as he's set to play shortstop, the position the Rangers hope he'll play the entire season in the minor leagues at and where they hope he'll excel.
"It's a baseball game," Profar told the Dallas Morning News on Sunday. "So, yeah, I'm a little excited."
No one, the Rangers included, knows what the future holds for Profar, who was once so highly regarded, but everyone involved with the organization can probably agree that Monday's baby step is hopefully the first of many that get larger and larger. Whether Profar ever plays another game for the Rangers or is used for trade bait after a strong showing in the minors, the hope is that he'll rediscover what originally made him so great after a long layoff.
