Rangers' Jurickson Profar may miss entire season

Rangers' prospect Jurickson Profar could not get to the big leagues quickly enough at this time two years ago. He was the top prospect in all of baseball, but since has had trouble remaining healthy. Profar will have shoulder surgery on Monday, and according to Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan, Profar could miss the entire 2015 season as a result of the injury and necessary procedure.

Profar, 21, has been bothered by shoulder discomfort according to The Dallas Morning News, and he was unsuccessful in trying to overcome the injury with rest and basic rehab. He reportedly had been throwing from 105 feet with no pain, and has been having MRIs every few weeks to monitor the situation. The Rangers have not announced when they expect him to return, but as Passan notes, if Profar does not miss the whole season, he could return at some point this summer. He was healthy and last appeared in a Rangers uniform in 2013 when he posted a .234/.308/.336 batting line in 85 games.

The Rangers were confident Profar would be a consistent offensive starter in 2014, however he tore a muscle in a spring training game last March. He was expected to return after three months, but his condition worsened again after he rolled over in bed. Profar did not want to have surgery, instead hoping rest and rehab would enable him to be completely healthy again heading into 2015. Profar's shoulder is "getting worse again" according to Yahoo! Sports' Mike Oz, and his condition may be the result of not opting to have the surgery.

Although he is still one of their top prospects, Profar was not guaranteed a spot on the 25-man roster had he been healthy. Since he missed a significant amount of time last season, Texas likely would have had him start the season in the minors before promoting him when they felt he was healthy. Rougned Odor will be the club's starting second baseman, and the Rangers are not in a hurry to get Profar back. He will turn 22 next week, and could be a key contributor moving forward.