TUCSON, Ariz. -- Joaquin Arias was tucked away in a small corner locker in Tucson Electric Park.

Andruw Jones sat next to him, his head buried in Baseball America. Arias was sitting on a chair and leaning back with his head in his locker. He did not smile. He hasn't smiled very much this spring.

"My shoulder feels good," he said quietly, answering the inevitable first question. "I'm OK. It's better than last year."

He injured his right shoulder two years ago in Spring Training and eventually required surgery. The strength is not back. He missed almost all of 2007 and spent most of '08 in Triple-A Oklahoma.

"Frustrating," Arias said.

He was once one of the premier defensive shortstops in the Minor Leagues. Last year, he had to play second base, because the shoulder wasn't close to full strength.

"The last few years were tough," Arias said. "It feels better now. I'm ready to play." If not for the shoulder injury, he might have been the one who made Michael Young move to third base. Instead, it was Elvis Andrus.

Arias lets out a deep sigh at the thought, laughs softly and then shrugs helplessly.

"Elvis is a good player," Arias said. "I don't know. ..."

Omar Vizquel -- who is currently sidelined with soreness in his right side -- is here in case Andrus is not ready to play shortstop. Arias is not an option.

"It's tough," he said.

Those who saw him in the Minor Leagues before he was injured remember how good he was, especially defensively. What they've been saying about Andrus lately is what they were saying about Arias before the shoulder injury in 2007.

"He was very good," said Jackie Moore, the Rangers coach who was an opposing Triple-A manager back then. "You would look at him and wonder why he is still in this league. He was a complete player. He could make all the plays and the throws from deep short. As far as we were concerned, he had all the tools. It was a matter of time."

The Rangers acquired Arias from the Yankees along with Alfonso Soriano for Alex Rodriguez in 2004. He was the player to be named later. The Rangers took him instead of second baseman Robinson Cano. Arias was 19 at the time of the trade and playing in Class A. In 2006, he was 21 and playing in the All-Star Futures Game in Pittsburgh.

"He had a cannon for an arm back then," third baseman Travis Metcalf said. "He could come over the top and wing it. He always had great hands, but he also got to balls not many guys could get deep in the hole and [be able to] throw guys out.

"It's sad the shoulder problems are still there."

Arias played in 32 games for the Rangers last year after being recalled on Aug. 18 when Ian Kinsler went down with a sports hernia. He hit .291 and played well defensively. He can still run. He had four stolen bases for the Rangers and 23 at Oklahoma.

All that is missing is arm strength. Not only does it keep him from playing shortstop, but it also casts doubt on whether the Rangers can keep him as a utility infielder. "His arm is better than last year," manager Ron Washington said. "I still don't see the arm strength, but his throwing is better. He has more depth in his shoulder, but we still want to see more. He's definitely got good quickness and hands. We've just got to make sure he can get the ball across the infield."

The Rangers will need a utility infielder if Andrus is the shortstop. Vizquel, 41, is one possibility if his heart is really into it. German Duran is another. Arias would be good if he can play shortstop. He can hit and gives the Rangers the rare commodity of speed off the bench.

But the primary role of the utility infielder on the Rangers is giving Andrus a break against tough pitching. The utility infielder must be able to play shortstop. A utility player who can be used in the infield and outfield is also a bonus. The Rangers tried that with Arias two years ago in Spring Training, and that's how he hurt his shoulder.

"We were trying to find a way for him to be a valuable piece on the team," Washington said. "If he could have played the outfield, he would have been a valuable piece. Was it going to happen anyway? We can't say."

But one thing seems obvious.

"If his shoulder wasn't bad, he could be right there," Washington said. "He certainly was supposed to be our next shortstop."