Josh Hamilton hasn't had much problem producing in his stint thus far within the Rangers' minor-league system in what is essentially amounting to his spring training before he joins the Rangers soon.
Say what you will about the pitching he's faced, but he's now hitting .667 in four games with Double-A Frisco, and he's set to rejoin the Rangers for the first time since 2012 very soon, possibly this weekend. If it's much longer than that, he might rejoin Triple-A Round Rock after they finish up a road trip.
All that said, however, and Hamilton's body might not yet be ready to join the Rangers and face big-league pitching, no matter how good his swing might have looked.
"I still need to get some innings to get my legs under me," Hamilton told Fox Sports after Tuesday's 3-for-3 performance with Frisco. "I'm pretty sore. I had a day off yesterday and days off suck because you're even more sore the next day."
One of Hamilton's hits Tuesday night came off rehabbing Oakland closer Sean Doolittle, so that was a positive sign.
"I don't know where he's at in his rehab," Hamilton said of Doolittle. "He wasn't throwing as hard as he normally throws. But he does have the experience so it was good. When I got behind in counts tonight I didn't feel any pressure or stress of having to battle. I still felt comfortable with my at-bat so it was good."
