Jurickson Profar didn’t believe he’d ever get the opportunity to showcase his full potential to the Texas Rangers and their fans.
He’s now set to make his first All-Star appearance at the stadium with the retractable roof, which the Rangers built two years after trading him away.
Profar was named as a starting outfielder for the National League during Wednesday night’s Padres’ game, which was held at the stadium of his original team.
He will return for the All-Star Game at Globe Life Field on July 16. It’s been almost 12 years since Profar debuted in Major League Baseball as a 19-year-old who was considered one of the top prospects in the sport.
Profar hit a home run in his first big league at-bat in Cleveland on September 2, 2012, but his career was hindered by injuries.
The Curacao native was coming off his best season in 2018 when Texas traded him to the Oakland Athletics as part of a three-team deal.
A year later, the A’s sent him to San Diego, and now he’s in his second stint with the Padres, batting .314, nearly 70 points above his career average.
With 11 home runs, Profar has a chance to match his career high of 20, achieved in consecutive seasons – his final one with the Rangers and his only one with the A’s in 2019.
“It’s going to be very, very special, especially since I never really had a chance to play here,” Profar said. “I got injured and missed two years of baseball. When I came back, I didn’t play much.”
The trade occurred after Profar finally had a season with at least 500 at-bats, having never had more than 286 before 2018. Nonetheless, there are no hard feelings toward the team that signed him at 16.
“I have a really, really good relationship with a lot of people there, from coaching staff to clubhouse guys who always supported me,” said Profar, now a 31-year-old with a beard playing on a $1 million, one-year contract.
