SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Greg Bird and Cody Allen both held tryouts, almost like 10-year-old kids desperately trying to impress a Little League coach. Bird held his in Tampa while Allen threw at Southlake Carroll High School just north of Arlington.

The Rangers sent scouts to watch both, a left-handed-hitting first baseman with power potential and a right-handed reliever who a few years ago was one of the premier closers in the American League.

They showed enough for the Rangers to give them non-roster invites to Spring Training. There is still more to prove.

Bird and Allen are trying to revive their careers and have uphill battles to make the Opening Day roster. But they could also end up having significant roles on the 2020 Rangers.

“My job is to show up and be the best version of myself,” Allen said. “Pitch where I am asked to and do what I am told. I’m here to compete.”

Bird is in camp to push Ronald Guzmán at first base and there is a job to be won. Guzman had the job the past two years, but the Rangers need to see more offense out of the 25-year-old first baseman. If not, there is an opening for Bird.

This is a guy who hit .261/.343/.529 with 11 home runs and 31 RBIs in 46 games as a rookie for the Yankees in 2015. Then came four miserable years of injuries including a torn labrum in his right shoulder, right ankle surgery and a plantar fascia tear in his left foot last season. Since that promising rookie year, Bird has played 140 games and hit .194/.287/.388.

“Difficult at times,” Bird said. “Not what I wanted. That’s life. I guess it has been a good learning experience. Confusing at times. But that’s how it goes. You have to deal with it, get up and focus on what you have to do that day.”

Bird played in just 10 games last season with the last coming on April 13. He went to the Dominican Republic in October to make up for lost time, played in seven winter league games (going 3-for-24) and came back to Tampa.

“It was an experience, but I just wanted to play,” Bird said. “It wasn’t conducive to what I was trying to do. I played and I got out in one piece. But it was good.”

Allen’s 2019 season was just as rough. After seven seasons with the Indians, he signed a one-year deal with the Angels and began with four saves and a 1.42 ERA in his first six games. Then a lower back issue sidelined him from April 26 to May 7.

When he returned, he wasn’t the same pitcher. Allen had a 6.43 ERA in 14 games before the Angels designated him for assignment on June 15.

“There were a lot of things there,” Allen said. “Obviously, the back injury played a big part of it. But some of it was just different things that happened. I just wasn’t very good. Clean, simple, honest answer.”

Allen said he became too concerned that his velocity was down from 94 mph when he was with the Indians.

“Chasing velocity was a big issue for me because in the past, the velocity always came naturally,” Allen said.

Allen spent the winter trying to put everything back together. He needed to build up strength and mobility and clean up his mechanics. Spring Training will be the test. Allen, who has 153 career saves, has a tough enough challenge trying to win a spot in the bullpen.

But if he makes it back, he could be an option as closer if manager Chris Woodward wants to use José Leclerc earlier in the game. That arrangement could give the Rangers a deeper bullpen.

“I would love to do it,” Allen said. “But that’s not why you are here. You are here to try and help the team win, and you are here to try to help the bullpen finish games or cover innings, whatever it is. I’m here to do what Woody asks me to do.”