ARLINGTON, Texas -- As the injuries mounted and the Rangers were forced to make some defensive switches in the eighth inning, second baseman Ian Kinsler heard manager Ron Washington say "Mike is going in."

Kinsler thought Washington was talking about Michael Young, meaning the club would have to lose the designated hitter spot in a three-run game. So Kinsler sprinted down and told Washington he could play third if needed. Washington told Kinsler he was putting Mike Olt out there and not Young, but Kinsler reiterated that he could play the position if needed.

So when the time came to figure out where Jurickson Profar would play with Olt out of the game with a heel injury, Washington shifted Kinsler to third and left Elvis Andrus at short with Profar at second.

Kinsler didn't get a ball hit at him.

"Whatever happened, happened, but I wanted a chance at it," Kinsler said. "I wanted to show off my arm, you know?"

Kinsler said the last time he played third base was in Triple-A in 2005. Wednesday was the 887th big league game of Kinsler's career and it was the first time he'd played a position in the field other than second base.

"I wasn't going to mess up the defense in both places," Washington said. "I took my chances. I knew if a ball was hit to Kinsler, he'd catch it and has a strong enough arm to throw it across the field."