HOUSTON -- Jurickson Profar was up front with his admission that he might be trying a little too hard to impress his new teammates in these early days of the new season.

In Profar’s estimation, he’s swinging at everything, including pitches up and in near his chin, rather than taking a calmer approach to look for a reasonable pitch to hit.

“I want to get hits. I want to do it for the team,” Profar said. “I’m getting away from myself a little bit. I’m going to figure it out and be where I want to be to help this team.”

Profar was given a day off on Saturday against the Astros, not as punishment for slashing .114/.133/.182 in his first 11 games as a member of the A’s. Rather, manager Bob Melvin looked at it as a chance to give Profar a mental break, which may be as valuable as the extra time Profar put in the batting cages earlier in the day.

“I think it’s a combination of needing a little bit of a mental blow,” Melvin said. “He had a great year last year. His numbers are going to show up. He’s just off to a little bit of a slow start. When you’re with a new organization, maybe that adds a little bit to the stress level. He’ll be fine.”

It also allowed Melvin to play Chad Pinder at second, a decision that seemed logical, based on Pinder’s career numbers at Minute Maid Park. Entering Saturday, Pinder had a .996 OPS and 11 hits in 37 at-bats (.324 average), with three homers in 13 career games at Houston’s ballpark.

Melvin said that he plans to give all the regular position players a day off during the current road trip. Given Profar’s struggles at the plate, this seemed like an opportune time.

Profar, who was traded to the A’s from the Rangers last offseason, feels pitchers are attacking him differently this year. He accepted his role in this, pointing to all the pitches “up and in, up and in, up and in” that he’s swinging at.

“I need to lay off and look for my pitch,” Profar said.

Profar seemed pleased after his session in the batting cages and did not dispute Melvin’s rationale for giving him a day off. His confidence also appeared not to be shaken, pointing out that opposing pitchers are familiar with his work.

“They know I can hit,” he said. “They saw it last year.”

With the Rangers in 2018, Profar logged 61 extra-base hits, including 35 doubles and a career-high 20 homers. He also logged 77 RBIs.

Melvin expects that production to reappear sooner than later.

“He’s a real talented player,” Melvin said. “He’s a switch-hitter. He can hit from both sides. He can play anywhere on the diamond. He can steal some bases. There’s a lot of things he can do to contribute to a win.

“We need to get him a good game or two. Sometimes, a day off where he can just sit back and pull for the guys and then have a little distance behind you can be a good thing.”