Rangers won't get Josh Hamilton back this season because of knee

Just when the Texas Rangers are about to welcome back pitcher Yu Darvish, the club learned Monday it won’t have the services of outfielder Josh Hamilton for the rest of the 2016 season.

Hamilton has been on the disabled list since the start of the season with a knee injury and has decided to undergo knee surgery on June 8 and miss the rest of the season. That’s a blow to the Rangers but not necessarily from a financial perspective. Hamilton is making more than $28 million this season, according to widely reported contract terms, but the majority of that salary is being paid by the Los Angeles Angels.

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Hamilton hasn’t played much for the Rangers in his second stint with the club since returning to Texas via trade from the Angels in April 2015. He played in a total of 50 games with 170 at-bats last season, missing plenty of time because of a sore knee and other issues. He had two procedures done on his knee last year and another non-surgical procedure during spring training.

While it’s bad news for a contending team to learn it won’t have a powerful bat at its disposal, the news will allow everyone already in the clubhouse to continue on without any worry or major distractions concerning Hamilton’s return. The Rangers went into Monday, a game ad a half behind Seattle in the AL West standings.

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Hamilton won the American League MVP Award in 2010 but is no longer the same player. He just celebrated his 35th birthday on Saturday and reports are that he plans to continue playing next year once he’s regained his health.

In his past 139 games over the past two seasons, Hamilton has hit a total of 18 home runs and driven in 69 runs. His ability to play in the field has diminished as well. So the hope in Texas is that Hamilton’s decision will lead to healthier days ahead and a former star playing at a level he hasn’t been able to achieve for several years. But Hamilton will have a lot to prove when he returns.

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Kyle Ringo is a contributing writer to Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo