The Rangers offense has been slow out of the gate to start the 2021 season. Among MLB rankings, Texas is in the bottom 10 for average (.212), runs (36) and RBIs (35) through its first 10 games of the season.

Yet, the Rangers organization isn’t looking at those results to measure where they’re at now, but rather looking at the future, as they are aiming to help their younger bats develop at the big league level.

“We’re planting a seed, we’re watering it down, we're putting good soil on it. The roots are growing, but nobody sees the action at the top,” Rangers hitting coach Luis Ortiz said. “So of course people that are trying to see the results of the tree are going to say, ‘Oh there’s nothing going on,’ but there’s a lot [of] good things going on.”

While some hitters in Texas’ lineup have had tremendous success in the past -- like right fielder Joey Gallo, who has had two 40-homer seasons, in ‘17 and ‘18 -- Ortiz said it will be important for other players to understand their talents and play to their unique styles as they develop.

Ortiz said the goal for the club’s younger bats, like outfielder Leody Taveras and Anderson Tejeda, is to build a strong foundation early on in their big league careers.

“The analogy that I use is the quality of the car is your talent -- the quality of the driver is the skill,” Ortiz said. “So might have a Yugo, one of those little bad cars with Lewis Hamilton driving it, and then we show a Ferrari driven by a beginner driver with a cell phone in his hand, which is distracting.

“The guy that is driving the Yugo that knows how to drive it is a winning piece, while the other one is just potential that can show something, but they’re very inconsistent. So what we want is to have a Lewis Hamilton driver with big potential and hopefully, that’s going to translate eventually.”

Ortiz and Rangers manager Chris Woodward said the newest addition to the team could bring some change to the slumping lineup.

After Ronald Guzmán was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right knee meniscus cartilage tear on Tuesday, the Rangers added outfielder Adolis García to the roster.

García had a powerful spring. In 32 Cactus League at-bats, García batted .375 with 13 RBIs and had a 1.170 OPS.

Woodward said it was unfortunate that it took an injury for García’s opportunity to come, but he is excited to see what the Cuban-born outfielder brings.

“We’ve never seen [García] play every day,” Woodward said. “I saw it in Spring Training as much as I possibly could, and I wanted him in there as much as possible to see if it was real.”

Taxi squad moves

Outfielder Jason Martin was added to the taxi squad for the Rangers’ road trip after García was added to the roster.

Martin made his MLB debut in 2019 with the Pirates. He batted .250 in 20 games played in ‘19, but played in just seven games and went hitless in the shortened 2020 season.

Rangers Foundation Gala

The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation is hosting the 2021 TEX Gala presented by Choctaw Casinos & Resorts on June 17 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

The event will feature a red-carpet arrival for guests, dinner on the playing field, a silent auction and an acoustic concert from Grammy award-winner Tim McGraw.

Proceeds from the event will go towards relief efforts in the community to assist those affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the February winter storms that hit the state of Texas.

“We look forward to a very special night that will benefit the community and our neighbors in need,” Rangers president of business operations and chief operating officer Neil Leibman said in a press release.

Information for tickets and sponsorship opportunities can be found at texasrangers.com/texgala.