Delino DeShields was just starting to give the Rangers a good option at leadoff in their order when he came up limping after a play in the outfield back on June 14.
Now, he's on his way back to the Rangers' lineup as he's set to begin a rehab assignment on Saturday for Triple-A Round Rock, where he'll play alongside fellow Rangers rehabbers Josh Hamilton and Martin Perez.
DeShields will hopefully be able to come back and pick up where he left off, and hopefully he'll be able to spell a struggling Leonys Martin in center with Hamilton playing in left — or vice versa, even. This season, DeShields is batting .269 with a .358 on-base percentage, nine doubles and four triples. He also has 13 steals and has been caught just twice.
DeShields had been playing well for an extended period of time before his injury. Over his last 29 games, he's hit .284 with a .361 on-base percentage, which is better than Martin by a mile even though Martin holds an edge on him in the outfield and playing Hamilton in center is just scary because of his fragile body.
DeShields' pending return could be just what the Rangers' offense needs to get warm again, and hopefully he'll back back around the same time as Hamilton when the Rangers head to Baltimore on Monday.
