Rangers welcome Ian Kinsler off DL

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Texas Rangers activated second baseman Ian Kinsler off the disabled list Wednesday and plan to put him in the starting lineup Friday against the Minnesota Twins.

Kinsler, who was placed on the disabled list with a strained left groin on July 29, will be available to pinch hit against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night as the Rangers finish a three-game series. He is batting .298 with six homers and 38 RBIs this season.

The Rangers also activated infielder Cristian Guzman (strained quad) from the disabled list, recalled reliever Pedro Strop from Triple-A Oklahoma City and officially added outfielder Jeff Francoeur to the active roster.

Francoeur, who joined the Rangers in Kansas City on Wednsday, was acquired in a trade with the New York Mets on Tuesday.

Kinsler's return means the Rangers get a productive right-handed bat in the lineup and one that can hit left-handed pitching. At the time Kinsler was put on the DL -- the sixth stint of his five-year career -- he had the league's third-best average against left-handed pitchers at .403.

In Kinsler's absence, the Rangers have played Cristian Guzman, Joaquin Arias and Andres Blanco at second base.

Richard Durrett covers the Rangers for ESPNDallas.com. You can follow him on Twitter or leave a question for his weekly mailbag.

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Richard Durrett

ESPNDallas.com

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Richard Durrett joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He writes about colleges, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. Richard spent nine years at The Dallas Morning News covering the Rangers, Stars, colleges, motorsports and high schools.