Hamilton to play center, but Martin’s glove has value

Josh Hamilton returned to the Texas Rangers’ starting lineup Tuesday for the first time since May 30, and did so as their left fielder.

He will play center field, manager Jeff Banister said, and could be there as soon as Wednesday as the Rangers consider the importance of having Leonys Martin’s defense in the lineup.

Offense might win out if the Rangers’ offense continues to struggle. Aside from the eight runs scored Monday in the opener of a four-game series against Baltimore, the Rangers have struggled to score runs and Martin’s plate woes have been magnified.

With the Orioles planning to start left-hander Wei-Yin Chen on Wednesday, the lefty-hitting Martin could find himself on the bench, with Hamilton in center and the righty-hitting Ryan Rua in left.

Banister said that Martin takes runs off the scoreboard defensively and admitted that choosing offense over defense can be a difficult decision.

“It looks like a challenge when you’re not scoring runs,” he said. “When you’ve got a team that’s doing what we did last night, it doesn’t look like a challenge. I can see a lineup when we get all the bats we can in the lineup if that puts a premium defender on the bench at a time when he’s being challenged.”

Banister said that he will always try to protect runs with the best defenders late in games, so Martin could be a defensive substitution in games he doesn’t start.

Hamilton is no slouch in center, but he is also coming off a strained left hamstring. The pain he feels in the leg is in a new area, the by-product of the body compensating for the original injury, but he said that it isn’t something that would put him on the DL.

Nevertheless, he remains committed to nursing his hamstring through games, and Banister might keep Hamilton from playing consecutive games in center field. That will be aided when Delino DeShields returns from the DL after a strained left hamstring, and his time in center will also be monitored.

“I can see Josh playing center field,” Banister said. “We’ll see how it plays out.”

Hamilton had to make a sliding catch in the sixth inning on a line drive by Chris Parmelee. Hamilton had to accelerate and felt some discomfort en route to the sinking ball.

“Just to the point that it lets you know it’s there,” Hamilton said.

Closing time

Closer Shawn Tolleson had pitched only once since collecting his 10th save June 19, throwing only three pitches at that, but he returned to the mound in the ninth inning Tuesday and finished off the Rangers’ 8-6 win.

He quickly got the first two outs, then issued a walk to J.J. Hardy and an RBI single to Travis Snider before getting Ryan Flaherty on a called third strike to end the game.

Despite the late Orioles threat, Tolleson said that he has stayed sharp by being asked to warm up multiple times late in close games.

“It’s easier to stay sharp when you’re in there, but it’s part of the gig,” he said.

Banister said that Tolleson’s laid-back outlook makes him more likely to get through the long stretches of inactivity rather than the closers who feed off of the adrenaline of being in games.

Banister will get Tolleson a game if he needs one during a future layoff, but also doesn’t want to tax him unnecessarily.

“Shawn has that slow motor that doesn’t seem to need that adrenaline rush,” Banister said. “He’s getting work, albeit it’s in the bullpen. If we feel like it’s gone too long without getting him in a game and we need to get him in a game, we’ll get him in a game.”

Briefly

▪ Third baseman Adrian Beltre said that his three-hit game Monday wasn’t the by-product of his sprained left thumb feeling better but rather finding a few holes. Beltre, who batted .241 (7 for 29) in his first seven games off the DL, said that the thumb has slowly started to feel better.

▪ Double A Frisco right-hander Jake Thompson, one of the Rangers’ top prospects, and Triple A Round Rock infielder Travis Pastornicky were selected to the U.S. roster for the Pan Am Games, July 10-19 in Toronto.

▪ Round Rock reliever Jared Burton has been granted his release after exercising and out clause in his contract. The righty, who had a 0.90 ERA in 12 games, signed a minor-league deal May 24.

This story was originally published June 30, 2015 at 9:59 PM with the headline "Hamilton to play center, but Martin’s glove has value."