Rangers Hoping Hamilton Can Avoid Another DL Stint

Josh Hamilton has played in exactly 11 of the Rangers' 40 games since they acquired him from the Angels, and while that isn't a complete surprise, it is pretty frustrating.

Hamilton played in the series opener against his former team on Friday and he managed to get a double off the wall in the game. On Saturday and Sunday, Hamilton was out of the lineup.

The Rangers are being careful with Hamilton, and that's the right move, but it's a bit frustrating to see all of these "scheduled days off."

“That’s the nature of where we’re at now,” manager Jeff Banister told reporters. “Find a way to get his lower half right, keep it strong and playable.”

Hamilton was on an accelerated "spring training" to get into the Rangers lineup initially after he missed all of spring training with the Angels after undergoing shoulder surgery back in January. The team has tried to get him to curb his style of play and tone it down a bit, but as we know from his previous tenure in Texas, he's not too keen on that idea.

“Sometimes it’s tough because you’re in the game and you’re so excited about it, sometimes it’s like Little League again,” Hamilton told the Star-Telegram. “I need to [play more conservatively]. Who the crap wants to play that way? It takes a little bit of the fun out of the game.”

Banister said on Sunday the team hopes Hamilton is back in the lineup for Tuesday's series opener against the Diamondbacks, and that would be after a three-day layoff, so hopefully he'd be refreshed and ready to go until the all-star break.

Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
Contact Us