Choo's Performance Slowly Improving

When the Texas Rangers gave Shin-Soo Choo a seven-year deal worth well over $100 million this winter, it was done with the thinking that he would be their long-term solution as a leadoff hitter.

For the first month and a half of the season, it looked like the Rangers had made a great decision. Choo hit .328 with a .457 on-base percentage through his first 35 games as a Ranger and was arguably the best table-setter in baseball.

From May 14 on, however, Choo has hit .200 with a .309 on-base percentage — well below the Rangers' expectations for him. A lot of those struggles could probably be chalked up to a nagging ankle injury that Choo chose to play through after a week off instead of going on the disabled list for a couple of weeks to get it right.

Now, however, it appears he's starting to get back in the swing of things.

In his past 14 games, Choo is hitting .273 with a .322 on-base percentage — still low for Choo's standards — with two doubles, two homers and six RBIs. He homered in Thursday's loss to Baltimore and has now hit in eight of the Rangers' last 10 games.

It's fairly obvious the ankle still isn't 100 percent, but at this point it probably won't be this year unless he takes a seat on the DL. But things are looking better than they were for a long, painful month.

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