The Rangers entered Spring Training with two viable candidates for their Opening Day designated hitter. But now with both players set to miss the start of the regular season, Texas will have to get creative at the position.

With Khris Davis diagnosed with a left quad strain and Willie Calhoun still dealing with a groin strain, the Rangers will begin the 2021 season without their top DH options, leaving the team¡¯s brass to quickly conjure up a plan.

There is no perfect, one-size-fits-all solution. The replacement will have to come internally, as it's highly unlikely the Rangers sign another bat. Manager Chris Woodward said that Texas will possibly rotate several players at the position instead of having one hitter assume full responsibility.

¡°We'll see how it works out, and, obviously, we have a few more roster decisions to make,¡± Woodward said. ¡°I don't know for sure how we're going to move on from here, but we still got some more decisions to make.¡±

The conundrum is far from ideal, but Texas is not without choices. One route is for the Rangers to occasionally dip into their starters. Joey Gallo (right field), David Dahl (left field) and Nate Lowe (first base) could all DH for a game while Ronald Guzmán assumes their position, giving those starters a pseudo off-day.

Speaking of Guzm¨¢n, Woodward announced that he has made the Opening Day roster, but won¡¯t be the starting first baseman, leaving designated hitter as a route for him to get plate appearances.

Guzm¨¢n was a below-league average hitter in his first two seasons, but showed signs of progress last year, even in the limited sample size. In 26 games, Guzm¨¢n hit .244 with four home runs and an OPS+ of 100, the best mark of his career. The first baseman has had an encouraging spring as well, posting a 1.001 OPS with three home runs in 41 plate appearances.

When asked if Guzm¨¢n would get plate appearances at designated hitter, however, Woodward didn¡¯t show his hand.

¡°I don¡¯t think it will be primarily DH,¡± Woodward said. ¡°We can move him around and try to get him in there as much as possible. He¡¯s gotta, obviously, stay ready. He wants to be an everyday player, and I don¡¯t ever want him to lose sight of that.¡±

Along with Guzm¨¢n and the aforementioned starters, Jonah Heim, the Rangers¡¯ No. 28 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, could also fill the role on occasion.

Heim struggled for much of his time in the Minors, hitting .239 with three different organizations from 2013-18. Things finally clicked for Heim in '19, where he slashed .310/.385/.477 with nine homers in 85 combined games at the Double-A and Triple-A level.

The Rangers likely won¡¯t call on Heim often to DH, given his responsibilities as backup catcher, but his ability to bat from both sides of the plate could help the Rangers build matchup-specific lineups.

Aside from Guzm¨¢n and Heim, there aren¡¯t many players currently on the Opening Day roster who jump off the page. Brock Holt made the team out of camp, but much of his value stems from his defense. Charlie Culberson might crack the team as well, but like Holt, he's best utilized defensively.

The Rangers¡¯ most intriguing option who¡¯s not on the Opening Day roster is Adolis Garc¨ªa, a right-handed slugger with awesome physical tools, minimal big-league experience and a history with combat sports.

¡°I heard through the grapevine that he was a wrestler when he was younger. A legitimate wrestler,¡± Woodward said. ¡°I would not want to wrestle this guy, I¡¯ll just tell you that right now. He¡¯s a monster of a human being, and I can't imagine him going on the floor with somebody and tying somebody into a pretzel.¡±

Garc¨ªa's appeal is immediately identifiable. Listed at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, he is one of the Rangers¡¯ most physically-gifted players, capable of captivating an entire stadium with one swing.

¡°El Bombi¡± has been the Rangers¡¯ best hitter this spring, posting a 1.462 OPS with three home runs in 26 plate appearances. Garc¨ªa has a track record of slugging in the Minors as well, hitting 32 home runs in '19 for the Cardinals¡¯ Triple-A affiliate. His power makes him an appealing candidate, but that¡¯s only one elite tool in his pocket.

He also has the blazing speed to match his raw power. In '18, Garc¨ªa ranked in the 97th percentile of sprint speed, per Baseball Savant. That combination of power and speed alone makes Garc¨ªa an appealing candidate, but tools alone don¡¯t make the player.

Garc¨ªa's Achilles' heel is just as easy to spot as his physique; he strikes out a lot. In the Minors, Garc¨ªa struck out about a quarter of the time (25.3 K%), and that trend followed him to the Majors, where he has 11 strikeouts in 24 career plate appearances. To his credit, he hasn¡¯t remained stubborn in his approach, instead, seeking to refine it.

¡°He¡¯s cleaned a lot of that up, and he¡¯s been open to cleaning that up,¡± Woodward said. ¡°As [Rangers hitting coach Luis Ortiz] describes it, he had a Eureka moment not too long ago. From a timing standpoint in the batter¡¯s box, tried some new things that he wasn¡¯t comfortable doing before, which gave him the ability to see the ball longer and literally have more adjustability, and you¡¯re seeing it now with some of these balls he¡¯s hitting.¡±