Texas Rangers: Who Will Step Up in Place of Willie Calhoun?
Sunday's scene in Surprise was quite scary for all involved.
Texas Rangers left fielder Willie Calhoun was struck in the face by a 95-MPH fastball from Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Julio Urias. The pitch fractured his jaw, according to the Rangers, and will keep the up-and-coming outfielder off the field for the foreseeable future.
While it seems that Calhoun dodged a major injury, the fractured jaw throws a wrench into the Rangers' plans to open the season.
It seems a bit too early to ask who will step up, but it's an honest question for Texas just three weeks away from Opening Day: who steps up in place of Calhoun?
The obvious answers should be Nick Solak and Danny Santana, both of whom have received work in the outfield this spring and should benefit from the added at-bats early in the year. Both should be considered downgrades from Calhoun athletically in the field, but at the plate - at least with Santana - it should be a push.
Let's remember Santana hit 28 home runs to go along with a .283 average last year in almost 500 at-bats. It was going to be hard to find him consistent playing time this year, but at least early on this opens the door to get the veteran into the lineup.
The good thing with Solak potentially stepping up is that it builds in consistent playing time, allowing him to potentially settle into a routine and develop as a major leaguer. His bat is valuable, and even parked a three-run home run in Calhoun's absence on Sunday.
Other names to watch are Scott Heineman and Adolis Garcia. Heineman is having a nice spring, as is Garcia. Both are hitting well north of .300 and both have an OPS well north of .900. Calhoun's injury opens the door for one of the two veterans to sneak onto the roster and provide the Rangers with an experienced bench bat.
It's really interesting to see what Rangers manager Chris Woodward does with Santana and Solak. Both had been working exclusively in center field throughout the spring and Santana is the better defensive option at either left or center field. That would make Solak the logical choice to move over and start playing left field, especially since he's played there in college and during his time in the Rays' organization. However, left field comes with its own angles and routes to the ball, so it'll be interesting to see if Woodward makes that move.
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