Choo Shin-soo’s April stats worst in Rangers history

May 1, 2015
Texas Rangers' Choo Shin-Soo, left, walks to the dugout after he struck out swinging against the Seattle Mariners in the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, April 18, 2015, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Texas Rangers’ Choo Shin-Soo, left, walks to the dugout after he struck out swinging against the Seattle Mariners in the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, April 18, 2015, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Texas Rangers outfielder Choo Shin-soo set a new franchise record for his club, but he’s probably not feeling very proud of achieving it.

After going 5-for-52 in the first 16 games of the 2015 season, the South Korean has a .096 batting average — the lowest ever in Rangers’ history for the month of April, according to a Dallas Morning News reporter Evan Grant.

His offense saw a dip in performance during the previous season, but he had reportedly been playing with an ankle and an elbow injury, which he had taken care of during the offseason through surgeries.

2015 was projected to be a comeback year for him after a full recovery.

The 32-year-old veteran is sporting a .111 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) according to FanGraphs meaning that he has either been hitting against elite defenses or has been very unlucky with solid hits going straight to fielders.

The Rangers just acquired outfielder former American League MVP Josh Hamilton who is coming off his own fair share of off-the-field issues. The move opens up the possibility of trading Choo while eating up the costs of his 7-year $130 million contract.

Choo has sat on the bench the past two games. The Rangers will start a three game series with the Oakland Athletics after resting on Thursday.