The Rangers had high hopes when they signed outfielder Shin-Soo Choo to a seven-year, $130 million contract over the winter, but a lingering injury to his left ankle is a major reason why his first season with Texas has been a bust.
Choo sprained his ankle on April 21 when he landed on first base awkwardly while trying to beat out an infield hit. While the 32-year-old ended up missing a week of action, he didn’t go on the disabled list. Choo told Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram this afternoon that if he could do it all over again, he wishes that he had taken some extra time to heal.
The injury has continued to be a factor, even forcing Choo to serve as the DH while the Rangers were in Toronto over the weekend. He returned to the outfield tonight, but he did so in right field in order to take some stress off the ankle. Choo’s production on offense has undoubtedly suffered, as he’s batting just .239/.355/.370 with nine home runs and 34 RBI over 94 games. He only has three stolen bases for the year and hasn’t attempted one since May 24.
On the bright side, Choo snapped out of a career-worst 0-for-22 hitless streak tonight against the Yankees. But he still has a long way to go in order to redeem his season.