David Murphy Gets A Much Needed Day Off

David Murphy sat out of the Texas Rangers’ 9-7 victory over the Oakland A’s on Thursday, which is noteworthy for the simple fact that it doesn’t really happen that often these days, since Ron Washington announced that he would become the regular starter in left field.

Specifically, it was just the second time in 52 games in which Murphy has been held out, a move that came in response to Murphy looking “a little sluggish”--this according to Washington.

“Late in the season, everybody is battling through some sort of fatigue,” Murphy said, per the Dallas Morning News. “It was a good day to relax, watch my team win and get refreshed.”

Murphy will reportedly be back in the lineup when Texas opens up the weekend series with the Angels on Friday night at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Going into the series, Murphy carries a .308 average with 14 home runs and 58 RBIs. Against the Angels in 2012, Murphy is hitting .318.