The Texas Rangers have had an up and down season through the first half. They have received key contributions from young guys and veterans alike, but they’ve dealt with their share of injuries. They currently sit in the middle of the AL West, still within reach out the division and the Wild Card spot.
Josh Hamilton, who was acquired from the Angels in April, has been one of the team’s injury issues this season. He was placed on the DL soon after his return to Texas, and it recently appeared that he’d require another stint on the shelf due to injury. However, the slugger will avoid a trip to the DL, for the time being.
Last season Hamilton hit 10 home runs while knocking in 44 RBI in 338 at-bats with the Angels. During the past two seasons with Los Angeles, Hamilton had not looked like himself, struggling at the plate more than he had previously in his career. His home runs numbers have dropped and so have his run totals. He was injury-prone, and everything culminated in his continued struggles with drug abuse over the offseason.
He started out the season on the DL as he was recovering from shoulder surgery he underwent in February. Hamilton, who was the MVP in 2010 and also a five-time All-Star, was supposed to add a big bat to the Angels line up, but he never fit into the organization.
Since returning to Rangers, Hamilton has enjoyed Texas home cooking. He’s seemingly re-energized his career while the Angles pay for him to play for the Rangers. It’s still early on in the reunion, but if Hamilton can stay healthy, and that’s obviously a big if, it appears that he can again be a productive bat in the middle of the Rangers’ lineup.
Hamilton suffered a strained groin earlier this month against his former team in a 12-6 loss. It was very unclear after the injury happened what Texas was going to do with Hamilton and if they needed to place him back on the disabled list. But an MRI came back clean and he was lucky to dodge the DL again, instead being listed just day-to-day. Hamilton came back into the Rangers lineup on Tuesday in a 4-2 loss to the Diamondbacks. Hamilton did not have a hit in four at bats that game but it was still good to see him back on the field.
So far this season Hamilton is hitting .268, with two home runs, six RBI, and an OPS of .860. He has struggled against left-handed pitching with only three hits in 13 at-bats, no home runs, and two RBI. His numbers against right handers look a lot better with eight hits in 28 at-bats, his two home runs, and four RBI. While his numbers are down because of the injuries and resulting games missed, he has looked a lot more comfortable in Texas. While the he’s not what he was on the field, Hamilton appears to have brought an intangible to the Rangers’ clubhouse, and that has been his leadership over a team that has a lot of younger players.
From a fantasy perspective, Hamilton is certainly a player to monitor. The Rangers have a potent lineup, and if he can get it going he has a ton of potential. He’ll need to remain healthy to realize this, but considering the investment is low at this point he could be a nice high-ceiling addition as we prepare for the second half.
James McGowan is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from James, check out his archive or follow him @jmc3310.