Adrian Beltre has grown accustomed to having tight hamstrings with a DL stint in 2011 and a minor flare-up last season, and now the Rangers' player of the month for May is dealing with another one as he left Saturday night's game with what is being called a minor hamstring strain.
Beltre's been out of the lineup since, missing Sunday and Tuesday with a club off-day on Monday but Beltre tried to talk his way into the lineup on Tuesday after running on the field at Fenway Park prior to the game.
Rangers manager Ron Washington thought better of it, insisting Beltre take at least one more day to rest but he's now expected to be in the lineup for Wednesday's game in Fenway, where Beltre played one season with Boston before coming to Texas prior to the 2011 season.
Washington said Beltre's status for the upcoming series in Toronto, where guys like Beltre and fellow hamstring problem child Nelson Cruz have traditionally gotten days off thanks to the hard playing surface on the artificial turf at the Rogers Centre, could be up in the air.
“I’m going to keep him off that turf,” Washington told the Star-Telegram of Beltre. “I’ve got to check with Berkman and see how his legs are feeling. If his legs are feeling good, we’ll probably get him a game on the turf [at first base, opening the DH spot for Beltre]."
It's good that Beltre will be back in the lineup, as he was the team's hottest hitter before the injury on Saturday, but the Rangers need to proceed with caution here and be sure Beltre isn't putting himself at further risk. He insists he's not.
"I'm not going on the disabled list," Beltre said.
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