CINCINNATI - It was a painful weekend for the Rangers’ right fielder at Great American Ballpark.

In the final two games, two guys went down with injuries.

The latest threatens to wreck any chance Hunter Pence had of making the AL All-Star team. Pence, who started in right field, left Sunday’s game at Cincinnati in the fifth inning after pulling up while chasing Jose Peraza’s double along the right field line. It was announced that Pence had “tightness” in his right groin. He will undergo an MRI and be further examined Monday. An assignment to the Injured List seems likely.

Hunter Pence pulls up in route to a fly ball with a groin/hamstring injury in Cincinnati.



The Rangers continue to not be able to have nice things. pic.twitter.com/z0D0OjnvUW — Joey Hayden (@_joeyhayden) June 16, 2019

“There is a high level of concern anytime somebody comes limps off the field like that,” Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. “When a guy looks like he just got shot, that’s not a good sign. We will try to get him back as soon as possible.”

Pence’s injury occurred just as Willie Calhoun is about to be activated from the IL. Calhoun, however, was hit by a pitch in the ankle in the seventh inning of what was to be his final game on rehab at Triple-A Nashville Sunday. He was removed from the game, reportedly out of an abundance of caution. It is not expected to hinder Calhoun’s return on Monday.

“Usually, these [roster] situations play themselves out in some way,” Woodward said. “When a guy is just about to come back, something usually happens. I was hoping that wouldn’t be the case. It just sucks.”

Pence was a bit more optimistic about his own situation, though he left the clubhouse with his leg wrapped heavily.

“I’m already feeling a lot better,” Pence said. “I didn’t feel anything really extraordinary, but when a muscle grabs, it just stops you in your tracks. I think there is some potential [to avoid the IL], based on how good it feels now, but we will have to wait and see.”

Pence was starting in right field for just the fourth time this season. The Rangers had elected to play him in right because Nomar Mazara was dealing with some soreness of his own in the area where the hamstring connects to the cup of the knee. Mazara has been playing through some knee soreness. He will have an MRI exam on Monday as a precaution.

Pence, 36, had entered the game as one of the AL’s biggest surprises this season. After signing a minor league contract with the Rangers in February, he forced his way onto the team and into the starting lineup. He was hitting .292 with a .946 OPS at the start of Sunday’s game. His 46 RBIs were tied for seventh in the AL. Then he hit his 15th homer of the season in the third inning - on a 3-0 pitch - to tie the score and up his RBI total to 48.

Pence was second among DH candidates in the first round of AL All-Star voting that was released earlier in the week. The top three vote-getters advance to a special election period later this month.

Theft alert: Cleveland, which comes to Globe Life Park for four games on Monday, served notice that it could try to exploit the Rangers inability to stop opponents from running.

The Indians, who have the fifth-most steals in the majors this season, stole five bases on Saturday at Detroit. That is a problem for the Rangers, who have struggled to hold opposing runners. Texas ranks last in the majors at catching base-stealers, getting just 11.2 percent of those who have run.

The problem has been highlighted by the Rangers’ performance against the other teams most that are most likely to run. The Rangers rank third in the majors in steals. The other teams in the top five are a combined 18 for 19 against the Rangers in steal attempts this year.

Briefly: 1B Ronald Guzman's slump continues. He was hitless in three at-bats to extend the current skid to 0 for 17. Guzman did walk in the ninth.

-- LHP Mike Minor pinch hit for reliever Pete Fairbanks Sunday. It’s the first time the Rangers have used a pitcher as a pinch hitter since May 31, 2014 when Nick Martinez grounded out for Nick Tepesch. Minor also grounded out.