The news of Josh Hamilton's latest reported drug and alcohol relapse made its way to the Texas Rangers' clubhouse in Surprise, Arizona on Wednesday, and a couple of his former teammates spoke out about the issue.
Michael Young, who is now a special assistant to Rangers general manager Jon Daniels, and played his final game with the Rangers at the same time Hamilton did, said he hopes his former teammate can get his life back on track after his latest reported episode.
"I feel bad for the guy," Young told Fox Sports. "This is something I can't relate to, but as a friend and teammate I want the best for Josh and his life. He's got little girls at home I know he wants to be there for. It's a difficult situation. All you can do is hope for the best. Hopefully he's got good people around him that are going to help him get through it."
Elvis Andrus, who was a young second-year shortstop in 2010 when Hamilton won the AL MVP award and led the Rangers to not only their first postseason series win but also their first AL pennant, agreed with his mentor.
"It sucks when you see news like that and especially what he's been through," Andrus said. "In the end he's such a nice person, so I hope everything's going well and he can be back on the field."
