Rangers notes: Hamilton may go back on disabled list
Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton could be headed to the disabled list again, this time with a groin strain.
Hamilton had an MRI on Saturday but the results had not been revealed as of 9:30 p.m. Saturday.
Hamilton wasn’t in the Rangers lineup for Saturday’s game with the Angels. He came out of Friday’s game after the seventh inning.
Rangers manager Jeff Banister said Hamilton came out of Friday’s game a little sore but said Saturday was a planned day off. Banister did not get specific with what was ailing Hamilton except to say that his “whole lower half” has been an issue since Hamilton went on the DL with a left hamstring strain after an injury May 31.
Hamilton returned Tuesday in Baltimore and had two singles in nine innings. He took off the next day and had a single Thursday in nine innings. Friday’s start was his first consecutive games since playing seven straight after joining the Rangers on May 25 before his injury on a game-winning hit May 31.
“Obviously, we’ll see where he is throughout the night,” Banister said. “We’ll continue to try to manage how he feels. This is a guy we’d like to have for an extended period of time. I’m trying my best to figure this whole thing out with him and what is best for Josh.”
Part of the game plan for Hamilton was for him to get more days off to allow his injuries more rest. The other part of the plan was for Hamilton to dial back a notch on the field and not overextend his legs trying to run down fly balls. Struggling to learn to play that way was a topic Hamilton addressed before Friday’s game. It’s not easy, Hamilton said.
“Sometimes it’s tough because you’re in the game and you’re so excited about it, sometimes it’s like Little League again,” he said. “I need to [play more conservatively]. Who the crap wants to play that way? It takes a little bit of the fun out of the game.”
DeShields close
Delino DeShields worked out with the team in Arlington before Saturday’s game and could be reinstated off the DL for Sunday’s finale with the Angels. DeShields (left hamstring strain) has played six games with Round Rock and said he feels good. Banister said the Rangers would evaluate DeShields after Saturday’s workout and determine whether he’s ready to return.
“I feel pretty normal,” said DeShields, who played nine innings in center field Friday night in Iowa. “I had no issues, felt strong. No fatigue throughout the game.”
Quotable
“Personally, I think he’s a serious candidate to be an All-Star, but we’re also in the business of winning baseball games here. As much as that would be a great honor for him, and I hope that happens, I really do, for us to be represented in the All-Star Game would be outstanding, but also, our uniform counts, too.” — Rangers manager Jeff Banister on pitcher Yovani Gallardo pitching Sunday’s game before the All-Star break, which would keep him from pitching in the All-Star Game on Tuesday in Cincinnati.
Stefan Stevenson, 817-390-7760
Twitter: @StevensonFWST
This story was originally published July 4, 2015 at 9:48 PM with the headline "Rangers notes: Hamilton may go back on disabled list."