When Adrian Beltre doubled on Sunday, his reaction wasn't one of joy. And it struck fear into the hearts of Texas Rangers fans everywhere.
He pulled up at second base and had a look of discomfort, immediately reaching for his left hamstring. After the game, he said the injury wasn't as serious as the one he suffered last season that knocked him out of action for a month. Turns out, he appears to be right.
Beltre was listed as day-to-day after an MRI on Monday revealed no tear in the muscle, and was said to be a possibility to be in the lineup for tonight's game against the New York Yankees and Hiroki Kuroda.
Beltre's absence in the lineup changes things drastically, as we saw Monday when Brandon Snyder was the designated hitter in the eighth spot in the lineup, and Michael Young was back at cleanup, where he actually excelled last season in Beltre's absence. He took batting practice prior to Monday's game.
So far this season, Beltre is hitting .304 with two home runs and seven RBIs as the team's cleanup hitter.
