It appears Nick Solak isn’t going to fade into the night. Or worse, get traded to either the Yankees or Orioles the way other failed Rangers have.

Solak came to the Rangers in 2019 in a trade with the Rays. He made an immediate impact, racking up an on-base percentage of .394 and an OPS+ of 123.

His only problem was where to play him. He played second but the Rangers were knee deep in their love affair with Rougned Odor. So he had to find another position. 

He played left. He played center. He played third. The moving all over the field played with his head and his offense fell off the edge of the world, his OPS tumbling from .884 to .671.

The Rangers finally dumped Odor in 2021, handing second to Solak. He didn’t take advange of the opportunity, having another subpar year. A year so disappointing, he spent quite a bit of it in the minor leagues. Having a major league job in 2022 was no longer a given.

Solak watched the first two games of the season from the bench, watching his team lose them both.

He got a start yesterday. It appeared he decided to take back his job. 

Solak homered in his first at-bat. He singled his second time up. Walked the next two times. And flew out in the ninth. All in all, Solak went 2-for-3, scoring four runs.

He kickstarted the offense. Once it got going, it didn’t stop. The Rangers racked up eleven hits and seven walks, good for twelve runs and their first win of the season.

And in the middle of it all was Nick Solak.

It seems he is not ready to be a bench player.

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