DeShields figures it out. 179 comments


Delino DeShields is eying the opportunity to stay in the big leagues once Joey Gallo returns.

 

Maybe there is something to being sent down. Maybe that is a way to rehabilitate a struggling career. Maybe it can give a player a kickstart.

Maybe it’s not just banishment. Maybe it’s not forever.

Maybe being sent down isn’t the same thing as being sentanced.

And maybe Delino DeShields isn’t the only player who should be sent to Triple-A Nashville to figure it out.

If last night’s results are any indication, it will do others a world of good as well.

DeShields had four hits, scored the first run, and drove in the second, and winning, run. He is 6-for-11 since being called back up to replace Joey Gallo on the roster.

When he was sent down, he was hitting just .182 with an on-base percentage of .324. Not good in any way. He went from being the starting centerfielder to being the third-best centerfielder on the Rangers. On an over-crowded roster, he was the obvious odd man out.

He has some tools that can help win. But none of them work if he can’t get on base. A drill is worthless if you don’t have the drill bits.

Maybe DeShields is lucky that he’s been called up against the two worst teams in baseball. So, in some ways, he is still facing Triple-A pitching. But he’s hitting it. And that’s what it’s all about.

Maybe he stays when Gallo returns and someone else gets sent down.

Maybe the Rangers have the perfect candidate for that.

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TODAY’S GAME:

David Hess (1-7, 7.36) vs. Ariel Jurado (2-2, 2.43)
Game time: 7:05