Josh Hamilton Out For Two Months

Added on Apr 13, 2011 by Scott in

MLB

Reigning AL MVP Josh Hamilton’s head first slide into home plate will cost him six to eight weeks with a fractured bone in his right arm. The fluke injury occurred on a popup and was apparently a result of miscommunication between Hamilton and third base coach Dave Anderson. Hamilton attempted to score on the play despite his doubts over Anderson’s decision to send him. Whatever the case, the 29-year-old slugger will be out for a significant amount of time.

Hamilton was hitting .333 with seven RBI and zero home runs in eleven games. His absence from the AL West-leading Rangers lineup won’t be easy to overcome. Outfielder Dave Murphy will slide into Hamilton’s spot just as he effectively did last September during Texas’s run to the World Series.

For this reason, manager Ron Washington isn’t pushing the panic button. He knows there’s plenty of baseball left to play.

“We’re hurt because it’s one of our better guys,” Washington said. “For us to continue what we plan on doing this year, the guys we depend on have to stay healthy. Well, we lost one. We’re not going to hide in some hole. We’re going to play baseball. We’re not going to make any excuses.”

Hamilton’s breakout 2010 season fueled the Rangers resurgence. He won his first batting title with a .359 average, belted 32 homers, led the league in slugging percentage and also captured the ALCS MVP.

Texas went 19-10 without Hamilton a year ago. They currently sit atop the Al West at 9-2, three games ahead of the second place Angels.

Source: ESPN.com