Rua is in the lineup Sunday against the Astros for the third straight game. With neither J.P. Arencibia or Mike Carp proving to be tenable solutions at first base, Rua has received the opportunity to stake his claim to a starting role following his Friday call-up. He's produced two hits in eight at-bats, but will probably need to offer a little more offensive punch than that if he hopes to ward off his competitors for regular at-bats.

The Rangers called up Rua from Triple-A Round Rock on Friday, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports. Rua earned his first trip to the majors by posting an .886 OPS in 58 games with Round Rock this season. He handled both right-handers and left-handers well this season, but most of his action with the big club figures to come against southpaws.

Rangers third base prospect Ryan Rua went 3-for-4 with two home runs for Triple-A Round Rock on Monday. Rua has spent roughly one-third of his games in left field since being promoted to Triple-A, possibly as reaction to the Joey Gallo's breakout season. Rua has held his own, hitting .296/.348/.531 over 21 games in the Pacific Coast League since his promotion. Rua has not been able to replicate the 32 home runs he hit in 2013, but his combined line of .299/.369/.488 is better than his .247/.347/.525 line from 2013.