The Texas Rangers have an exciting player in Jurickson Profar, but so far injuries have kept him from fulfilling his potential. The Baltimore Orioles expect great things from Kevin Gausman, but so far haven’t made up their minds about how to use him best.
One thing is clear: Both teams aren’t done giving both players chances. The Rangers are getting a lot of interest around the league for Profar, the 22-year old infielder who has missed most of the last two seasons with shoulder injuries. So far, he has 94 games in the majors but the last of them in 2013, hitting .231 with 7 home runs in the short time he’s been on the field, in which he’s shown enough flashes to make the Rangers convinced there’s no need to give up on him. He played some minor league baseball in 2015, not doing anything special, but at least not falling apart physically.
The Orioles have a different issue with Gausman, the fourth overall pick in the 2012 amateur draft. They’re just not sure whether he’s a starter or reliever, although for now, they’re probably going to keep him in the rotation. He started in 17 of his 25 appearances last season, posting a 4-7 record with a 4.25 ERA, which was something of a step backwards for him after a promising 2014 season. He spent some time in the minors as well, but there were some promising signs as well, like a career best WHIP and improving his strikeout ratio.
Both players are constantly picking up interest around the league, with teams clearly wanting to take a chance on their potential and especially while they’re still cheap. For now, both off them are off limits, although the patience with them might run out at some point.