Josh Hamilton Rejoins The Rangers Monday
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DALLAS (105.3 The Fan/AP) — Josh Hamilton is done with his personal spring training and ready to rejoin the Texas Rangers.
The slugger flew to Cleveland Sunday to meet the team for the start of a three-game series against the Indians. The opener Monday is four weeks to the day after Texas finalized a trade to reacquire the 2010 AL MVP from the Los Angeles Angels.
An All-Star in each of his previous five seasons with Texas (2008-12), Hamilton went to Arizona for extended spring training the day after April 27 deal with the Angels. He played a few games there, then spent the past two weeks with Round Rock or Double-A Frisco.
During 12 games in his minor league rehab stint, Hamilton hit .364 with one homer and six RBIs.
Hamilton, who turned 34 on Thursday, was on the 15-day disabled list while recovering from right shoulder surgery on Feb. 4. He never reported to the Angels this spring after the offseason that also included his self-reported relapse with alcohol and cocaine.
In two seasons with the Angels after signing a $125 million, five-year free agent contract in December 2012, Hamilton hit .255 with 31 homers and 123 RBIs. He played only 89 games for Los Angeles last year because of injuries.
The slugger hit .305 with 152 homers and 506 RBIs in 647 games during his first stint in Texas. Hamilton led the majors with a .359 batting average in 2010, the season he was also the MVP of the AL Championship Series and the Rangers went to the first of consecutive World Series.
The Rangers sent Hamilton back to Round Rock after he played at Frisco on Wednesday, saying then that they would re-evaluate his status this weekend. He found out after the rainout that he was headed back to the majors, "Well, I had some good at-bats tonight," Hamilton joked.
Hamilton had been watching recent Rangers games, including their 15-4 win Saturday in New York when they had a 10-run third inning against the Yankees.
Texas finishes its series against the Yankees on Sunday night before heading to Cleveland for the reunion with Hamilton.
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