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On anniversary of terrifying day, Willie Calhoun in familiar spot with Texas Rangers

Willie Calhoun was not in the Texas Rangers’ lineup Sunday ... against the Los Angeles Dodgers ... at Surprise Stadium.

That was the scene a year ago for the most terrifying moment of his career.

But Calhoun was in the lineup Monday against the Chicago Cubs on the one-year anniversary of being plunked in the face by 95-mph fastball that broke his jaw.

Asked last week if he wanted to play Monday, he said he would if asked but had no extra motivation to show March 8 that he’s still the boss.

Who can blame him wanting to forget about that?

“I just try to leave it in my past and not think too much about it,” Calhoun said.

He’s moved on, even if it took a while longer than he would have preferred.

Plunked by former minor-league teammate and Dodgers postseason hero Julio Urias, a left-hander, the lefty-hitting Calhoun felt some unease standing in the batter’s box against certain lefties.

The ones who throw from a lower arm angle, in particular, caused some anxiety.

Manager Chris Woodward tried to protect Calhoun, who eventually wanted to face more and more tough lefties as the season wore on. So far this spring, he has not been gun shy stepping in against lefties.

“There’s been none at all,” Woodward said. “His second [spring] at-bat was against a lefty. He’s stays right in there. He’s seeing breaking balls. I was really proud of him last year, throughout the season, there was only a certain amount of guys like that came from way over that he was a little bit concerned about.”

The jaw, it turns out, wasn’t the only obstacle Calhoun encountered last season. There were two other leg injuries and a lack of performance, but Calhoun also attempted to make sense of racial injustice and his role as a Black man on a roster filled mostly by white men and Latinos.

“I know there’s a lot of people that can relate to the difficulties that he had to go through,” Woodward said. “I think it’s a very good reminder to all of us, especially as coaches, we’re all human beings here. We all deal with things. What Willie went through last year, on the field getting hit in the face and then with the social stuff ... that’s real life.”

Calhoun cleared his head in the offseason to get ready for a spring training in which he finds himself in a familiar spot — having to compete for playing time.

The Rangers acquired David Dahl and Khris Davis in the offseason, and they play the same positions as Calhoun. Dahl is the better defensive player and is expected to be the regular left fielder, and Davis is a right-handed power hitter who could platoon with Calhoun at designated hitter.

If Ronald Guzman keeps hitting and makes the roster, he might end up taking at-bats in left field and at DH when not playing first base.

“I’ve always been the guy that’s been the underdog,” Calhoun said. “I don’t look at this spring any differently. As I’m getting older, I’m constantly growing every day and looking at things from a different perspective and using it for motivation.”