Texas Rangers Outfielder Josh Hamilton To Disabled List With Abdominal Strain

NEW YORK _ Doctors still aren’t sure if Josh Hamilton has a full blown sports hernia, but they are sure he can’t play for at least two weeks and so the Rangers center fielder is going back on the disabled list.

After having an MRI exam and seeing sports hernia specialist Dr. John Preskitt, it still wasn’t certain if he had sports hernia or a more mild abdominal strain. Either way, Dr. Preskitt recommended a week to two of rest and anti-inflammatory medication. If that doesn’t produce results, surgery could be an option.

“It’s kind of an unknown case,” Assistant GM Thad Levine said when asked where the diagnosis ranked between best-case and worst-case scenarios. “There was no immediate diagnosis calling for surgery, so that’s good. The next two weeks will tell us a lot. The doctors said he could show significant signs of improvement in two weeks. The DL may be just what he needed.”

Hamilton is expected to receive a second opinion, but the Rangers haven’t set up that appointment yet. In the meantime, the Rangers will officially call up OF Brandon Boggs, who had joined the team as insurance in case Hamilton ended up on the DL. If the Rangers get rained out on Tuesday, the team would postpone making a move until it plays again.

Last year, Ian Kinsler suffered a sports hernia in August and ended up not playing again. He rehabbed the injury for nearly three weeks before opting to have the surgery. Rehab from the surgery is expected to be in the eight- to 10-week vicinity. If Hamilton waits two weeks and has surgery, he could potentially return by Sept. 1.

Levine could not give a precise time frame for recovery from surgery, but said, if it came to surgery, it would not necessarily end Hamilton’s season.

This is Hamilton’s second trip to the DL this season. He went on the DL in late April with a rib cage strain and returned May 12. He suffered the injury crashing into the wall at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on May 17. He missed most of the nexdt three games with what was described as a right groin strain. He returned to the lineup for a week and batted .222, but the injury started to flare up again last weekend. He did not start the series finale against Oakland and the team made plans for him to have an MRI and to see Dr. Preskitt.