Rangers have in-house candidates for first base

The Rangers have not ruled out signing free-agent first baseman Edwin Encarnacion, president of baseball operations and general manager Jon Daniels suggested during an appearance on MLB Network Radio on Wednesday.

Daniels left open the possibility of bringing in the slugger, but told show host Casey Stern, “it’s got to be the right situation to do it.”

Encarnacion hit .263 with 42 home runs and an American League-leading 127 RBIs for the Blue Jays last season. He is considered to be one of the best hitters available in free agency. The 33-year-old has hit 30-plus home runs in five consecutive seasons.

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Signing Encarnacion would fill the power void left by Mitch Moreland, who hit 22 home runs last season and then signed a one-year free-agent deal with the Red Sox earlier this month.

While he left the door open for Encarnacion, Daniels also spoke at a media luncheon Wednesday and said signing the free agent is “highly unlikely.” So, as with any coming-of-age story, the search turns inward.

“We have talked about some other options,” Daniels said, “But I think that [a promotion from within] is the most likely course of action.”

“I mean …” Joey Gallo began with a pause and a shrug, “yeah, I’m planning on working at first more than I did last offseason [when] I came in looking to be a third baseman, but obviously with [Adrian] Beltre there, and first base technically open, I’m looking at both positions and making sure I’m ready to do both.”

If you listen closely enough, that might sound like a player who views first base as an opportunity while admitting that it’s not …

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