In all this Nomar Mazara hoopla, people (myself included) seem to have forgotten about the wild card in the outfield mix for the Rangers.
You know, the former AL MVP and the guy who hit what should've been a World Series winning home run in 2011. You know, Josh Hamilton.
Hamilton started the year on the disabled list battling his bum knee, but he's set to return from extended spring training in Arizona on Thursday and rejoin the Rangers with his next step being to lay out a plan for his rehab.
Remember, Hamilton didn't participate at all in Cactus League action, so he'll definitely need a fairly lengthy rehab assignment before joining the big club, probably similar to last year's that lasted nearly a month.
He still isn't playing in games in Arizona, but he is hitting and has no reports of setbacks or soreness — at least not yet.
Unless Mazara just rakes for weeks, it's almost certain the Rangers would ultimately prefer to send him back down to the minors for more seasoning when Hamilton is ready to go within the next month. Whether we ever actually get to that point, that question remains to be answered.
