PITTSBURGH \u2014 We\u2019d say welcome back, but if Justin Foscue had his druthers, he\u2019d prefer to drop the \u201cback\u201d altogether.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt kind of feels like another debut, to be honest, just based off of last year\u2019s statistics,\u201d Foscue said Saturday before the Texas Rangers<\/a>‘ 3-2 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. \u201cBut, again, it\u2019s the same game I\u2019ve been playing my entire life. I\u2019m just trying to calm myself down and be in the moment as much as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n This moment, specifically, was brought upon by an injury. The Rangers placed first baseman Jake Burger<\/a> on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a left oblique strain and recalled Foscue to take his roster spot. Burger, 29, irritated the muscle in Friday\u2019s game when he swung-and-missed at a Braxton Ashcraft slider in the seventh inning. <\/p>\n Burger was sidelined with an oblique strain two seasons ago with the Chicago White Sox and said Saturday morning that this injury is similar. He missed just the minimum 10 days with that ailment. <\/p>\n Rangers<\/p>\n \u201cMy mind\u2019s on 11 days,\u201d said Burger, who is eligible to return from the injured list July 1. \u201cI\u2019ll let my body tell me, you know, and work with the training staff and the strength staff. My mind\u2019s on that 11th day and getting back as soon as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n Foscue will have a big league window at least until then. It\u2019s just a matter of how large it will be and how long the 26-year-old infielder can keep it open for. <\/p>\n Rangers manager Bruce Bochy<\/a> said Sunday that infielder Ezequiel Duran will see the lion\u2019s share of time at first base during Burger\u2019s absence because \u201che\u2019s been swinging better\u201d of late. <\/p>\n Foscue hopes to reach a similar stage at the major league level. Because, in regards to \u201clast year\u2019s statistics,\u201d he\u2019d rather speak on anything else but his first-year performance in the big leagues. He debuted in April, after third baseman Josh Jung<\/a> fractured his wrist, and landed on the injured list himself with an oblique strain just one day after he carded his first major league hit against Houston Astros closer Josh Hader. <\/p>\n He returned on July 20 and started a horrific slump. Foscue went 0 for 41 \u2014 which had been a franchise record before Joc Pederson broke it earlier this season \u2014 with 20 strikeouts and a below-league-average exit velocity. He finished his first stint with the Rangers with a .048\/.091\/.071 slash line and all of two hits in 42 at bats. <\/p>\n \u201cThat was a tough thing,\u201d Foscue said. \u201cThat\u2019s now how I really wanted to start my career and it\u2019s definitely still weighing on me to prove to other people that that\u2019s now who I am. I know that\u2019s not who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n Who he is, historically, is a professional hitter with enough bat speed to generate power. He owns a career .275\/.383\/.495 slash line with 70 home runs and 289 RBIs in 392 minor league games. He hit .269\/.360\/.487 with 10 home runs in 50 games this season at Triple-A Round Rock before the promotion. <\/p>\n Foscue, who might have been promoted earlier this season had he not been slowed by a hamstring injury, said Saturday that his self confidence is at an all-time high after it reached an all-time low last year. <\/p>\n \u201cI feel like I was looking for validation from a lot of people,\u201d Foscue said. \u201cI can\u2019t really rely on that. I\u2019ve got to rely on my belief and my own self confidence. I think I\u2019ve just slowly built that back to where it was a couple of years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n His advanced approach at the plate is why the Rangers selected him in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft and why he was a top-five prospect in the organization in two of the last three years according to MLB Pipeline. There is a belief that Foscue\u2019s patience, discipline and ability to work at bats could balance out a Rangers lineup that tends to swing freely. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about getting reps at the big league level for him,\u201d Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said Saturday morning, \u201cand when he gets those reps, to show some level of performance. But he deserves a lot of credit for the progress he\u2019s made and he\u2019s earned his way back.\u201d<\/p>\n Now he just needs to do something with it. <\/p>\n \u201cI know I\u2019m a good baseball player,\u201d Foscue said. \u201cI know I can hit at the big league level. I\u2019ve hit throughout my entire minor league career and they drafted me for a reason. I just have to believe in that and trust in that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Different look about him\u2019: Rangers\u2019 Kumar Rocker has been a changed pitcher since call-up<\/a>The Texas Rangers\u2019 series against Pittsburgh showcases why outfield defense matters<\/a><\/p>\n Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n