A good problem is, nonetheless, a problem.

So, the Rangers have a problem.

With the return of Shin-Soo Choo expected Friday and the unexpected tear of Carlos Gomez, the Rangers have too many outfielders and very little time to sort through them before the playoffs begin. They must determine if Choo is ready to play when the postseason starts. They must determine where to hit him if he is to play. And they must determine who then sits.

Here is the simple solution: Keep it simple.

Move around the fewest possible members of the lineup while creating the best possible batting order.

Yes, Choo needs to go back in the lineup. Even if his season has been disjointed, he's still got great strike-zone discipline and is an asset somewhere.

No, he doesn't necessarily have to go to the top of the order.

Nomar Mazara is the outfielder providing the least production right now. Though first baseman Mitch Moreland is in an even bigger slump and is an .070 hitter (3 for 43) in the postseason since his rookie 2010 season, taking Moreland out of the lineup and squeezing an outfielder into his spot would be potentially disastrous defensively. Even if he doesn't hit, Moreland can be an asset with his fielding.

And it's important to understand that Rangers manager Jeff Banister doesn't view the lineup as a bunch of names doing individual things; to him the lineup is an organism all to itself. It's more about the success of all nine hitters over the preference of one.

What Banister has turned to over the last month is a lineup that features Gomez in the leadoff spot and Elvis Andrus hitting ninth. It goes: Gomez, Ian Desmond, Carlos Beltran, Adrian Beltre, Rougned Odor, Jonathan Lucroy, Moreland, Mazara and Andrus.

He's used this lineup eight times -- the most he's ever used one specific batting order in his years with the Rangers -- over the last 31 games. The Rangers are 6-2 in those games. Gomez is hitting .455 (15 for 33) with three homers and nine RBIs in that lineup. It seems to work.

"I like the structure of it," Banister said. "The top of the lineup can hurt you in a number of ways. The middle of the lineup, when they're swinging the bat well, can also lengthen it out. The bottom of the lineup with Elvis, there's some speed but he's been swinging the bat really well for us. There's some on-base, some run-scoring opportunities from the top. It's the most lengthy lineup that we have. It's hard in my opinion for a pitcher to navigate through and find outs."

And yet he's probably going to tweak it somehow. Choo is going to hit somewhere, and Mazara is probably going to sit down.

Here are the most likely options:

Simply swap Choo out for Mazara: It means hitting Choo eighth, which he did five times in 2015 when Banister was trying to get him going. He also hit seventh 10 times during that stretch. For those games, Choo batted .292 with a .372 OBP and a .932 OPS. The bottom third of the order proved a good low-pressure place for Choo to get his groove back. Then it was a last-ditch effort to get him going; now it's a luxury they can afford with a hot-hitting leadoff man and a top half of the lineup that is working. It's a simple and easy switch that disturbs almost nothing. The Rangers could even drop him in the seventh spot and push the slumping Moreland to eighth. Truth, though, I'd probably rather have the on-base guy in the No. 8 spot ahead of the hot-hitting Elvis Andrus.

Put Choo in the No. 2 spot and drop Ian Desmond to the bottom third: Desmond has struggled since the All-Star break. Choo was most effective last year once he settled in to the No. 2 spot. Desmond is hitting just .234 with a .279 OBP since the All-Star break. This would put another on-base threat behind Gomez and ahead of Carlos Beltran and Adrian Beltre. It would also create a real speed option with the potential for Desmond, Andrus and Gomez batting in order after the first inning. What I don't like is that Desmond hasn't hit lower than third since May 17; it may send an underlying message of lack of confidence in him. That said, Desmond has demonstrated over and over this season his willingness to do what it takes to win.

Hit Choo leadoff and drop Gomez to the bottom third of the order: When Gomez arrived in Texas, he hit eighth and was fine with it. But he has seized the leadoff spot with performance. He's earned the job. Choo would prefer not to hit leadoff if he can avoid it. Why potentially make two hitters uncomfortable? Gomez rides into the final weekend batting .345/.406/.724/1.130 in 15 games as the leadoff hitter. There is no reason to remove him.

The answer to me is fairly simple: Put Choo in the bottom third of the order. Disturb the least number of bodies possible. It's not broken right now; don't try to fix it for the playoffs.