ARLINGTON, Texas — Add Ian Kinsler to the long list of Texas Rangers players who had some work done in the offseason.
Kinsler, who suffered a high-ankle sprain during spring training in 2010, had a platelet-rich plasma injected into his right ankle to separate the ligament from the bone a week after the 2011 season ended.
The results have been astonishing.
"It's the best my body's felt in probably two years," Kinsler said. "I am able to work out and do everything I want to physically with no pain and nothing holding me back. I'm really excited about it. I'm actually having fun training."
It's a far cry from how the second baseman felt after the 2011 World Series.
"My body was terrible when the season ended," Kinsler said. "When I rolled my ankle, I was fighting it for two years. I ended up fighting the ankle all the way through the end. I'm 100 percent. It's the first time I can say that for a long time."
Kinsler said that when he rolled the ankle, the ligaments moved and attached to his bone and it felt as if he had a bone bruise. Despite the pain, Kinsler was able to hit 32 home runs and steal 30 bases.
"It hampered me," he said. "I learned how to cheat in stealing bases. It taught me a lot about picking up small things and stealing a base and getting the best jump you possibly can."
Now healthy, Kinsler is thinking about both his future and that of the Rangers. The Rangers have an option on Kinsler for 2013, and the two sides have talked about an extension. Those talks have quieted while the Rangers attempt to sign Yu Darvish and talk with Prince Fielder.
Kinsler said he'd love to sign a long-term deal with the Rangers but understands the club's position.
"It's not frustrating," Kinsler said. "Baseball's a lucrative business. I don't think any of the players are worried about that part of the game. We're worried about winning. If you want to acquire Yu Darvish and you want to acquire Prince Fielder, I don't think anyone's going to have a problem with that."
Certainly not Kinsler, who sees a great future if the club can keep its core intact.
"If we can all stay together, we are going to continue to succeed," Kinsler said. "If we continue to add pieces like we've been, it's the beginning of a dynasty, in my opinion."
